WASHINGTON — Hot dogs and sausages are all-American favorites, but new 2020 retail sales data from Nielsen analyzed by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) highlights what cities relish them the most. For total hot dogs, despite its reputation as a veggie hot bed, Los Angeles maintained its status as the retail sales top dog. New York is the second biggest hot dog market with Dallas/Ft. Worth third. Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa and Phoenix round out the top ten.
While those large cities sell the most hot dogs, when considering actual sales vs. expected sales based on population, Buffalo, NY is the city where hot dogs are most popular, but hot dogs reign in North Carolina with Raleigh/Durham second, Charlotte third and Greensboro fifth. The rest of the top ten includes Paducah, KY/Cape Girardeau, MO, Birmingham, AL, Knoxville, TN, Little Rock, AR, Albany, NY and Nashville.
“Upstate New York and the south each have great hot dog traditions with popular local hot dog brands that drive demand in those communities,” said NHDSC President and Hot Dog Top Dog Eric Mittenthal. “Buffalo is the only city with a baseball stadium named after its hot dog brand, Sahlens, while Carolina Pride dogs are a celebration of their local history dating back more than 100 years.”
Dinner sausages like bratwurst, Italian and andouille show a similar pattern when it comes to the top markets overall. As for hot dogs, Los Angeles sells the most sausage, and is followed by Dallas/Ft. Worth in second and New York in third. Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco round out the top ten for total sales.
But when it comes to where sausages are most popular, the deep south is king. Baton Rouge, LA is the most popular sausage market in the country with New Orleans and Mobile, AL next on the list. Dallas, Little Rock, Birmingham, Houston, Jacksonville, Norfolk and Oklahoma City make up the rest of the top ten.
“Louisiana’s sausage culture featuring boudin and andouille is a great example of how community bonds are strengthened through delicious culinary traditions,” said Mittenthal. “Sausage is a food that binds generations.”
With the strong shifts to home cooking over the past year, data shows that Americans have been turning to hot dogs and sausages more often as a family-friendly, delicious choice. Nationwide, dinner sausage sales jumped 22 percent in 2020 while hot dog sales were up nearly 20 percent over the course of the year. In total Americans consumed more than two billion pounds, or approximately 14 billion hot dogs and dinner sausages from retail channels alone. If laid end to end, that’s enough to stretch from the earth to the moon two and a half times, with some leftovers for snacking.
The hot dog and dinner sausage sales data is based on retail sales during the 52 weeks of 2020. For more hot dog and sausage data, facts, figures and more, visit www.hot-dog.org.
Top 10 Hot Dog Markets
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Dallas/Ft. Worth
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Boston
- Houston
- Atlanta
- Tampa
- Phoenix
Top 10 Markets Where Hot Dogs are Most Popular
- Buffalo, NY
- Raleigh/Durham, NC
- Charlotte
- Paducah, KY/Cape Girardeau, MO
- Greensboro, NC
- Birmingham, AL
- Knoxville, TN
- Little Rock, AR
- Albany, NY
- Nashville
Top 10 Dinner Sausage Markets
- Los Angeles
- Dallas/Ft. Worth
- New York
- Chicago
- Houston
- Atlanta
- Tampa
- Philadelphia
- Boston
- San Francisco
Top 10 Markets Where Dinner Sausages are Most Popular
- Baton Rouge, LA
- New Orleans
- Mobile, AL
- Dallas
- Little Rock
- Birmingham
- Houston
- Jacksonville
- Norfolk
- Oklahoma City
Established in 1994 by the American Meat Institute, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council serves as an information resource to consumers and media on questions related to quality, safety, nutrition and preparation of hot dogs and sausages. The Council also celebrates hot dogs and sausages as iconic American foods.
