KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is the world’s second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald’s, with more than 24,000 restaurants (as of 2019) in more than 150 countries — almost 4,000 of them spread across the United States. (Check where it falls among the most successful restaurant chains in America.)
To determine which states have the most KFCs, both total and per capita, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data collected by NiceRx, a patient assistance program and medication access company, using numbers for total fast-food restaurants taken from the U.S. Census Bureau and tracking the nation’s ten most popular chains as determined by ScrapeHero.com. (Population figures are five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.)
We then ranked the states by their per capita KFC population per 100,000 residents, lowest to highest, and discovered that the winners are Mississippi and Kentucky, with 2.3 restaurants per 100,000 people. The No. 3 and 4 spots are claimed by West Virginia, with 2.1 KFC restaurants per 100,000 people, and Arkansas, with 2. Ties were broken using the total number of KFC restaurants in the state.
Click here to see the KFC capitals of America
It’s not surprising that Kentucky ranks so high, as the company is headquartered in Louisville — and it was originally named for the state. Also, fried chicken is a very popular dish across the South in general — so much so that it’s sometimes referred to as “Southern-fried.” (It’s definitely one of the iconic Southern foods every American should try.)
In 1991, Kentucky Fried Chicken rebranded as KFC, and there were various reports as to why. Some said the company wanted to drop the word “fried” to appeal to more health-conscious consumers, others that it was because the Commonwealth of Kentucky wanted licensing fees. Still others said that it was simply because of a corporate preference for something shorter and snappier. Whatever the reason for the change, it’s known to millions of consumers today by both names.
50. New Jersey
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.6
> Total KFC restaurants: 53 — 25th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 8,882,190 — 11th highest
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49. Minnesota
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.7
> Total KFC restaurants: 39 — 19th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 5,639,632 — 22nd highest
48. Massachusetts
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.7
> Total KFC restaurants: 48 — 23rd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 6,892,503 — 15th highest
47. Alaska
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 6 — 2nd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 731,545 — 3rd lowest
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46. South Dakota
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 7 — 4th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 884,659 — 5th lowest
45. Idaho
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 14 — 10th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,787,065 — 12th lowest
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44. Arizona
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 58 — 25th highest
> Total population in 2019: 7,278,717 — 14th highest
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43. New York
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 156 — 8th highest
> Total population in 2019: 19,453,561 — 4th highest
42. Montana
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 0.9
> Total KFC restaurants: 10 — 6th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,068,778 — 8th lowest
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41. Wyoming
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 6 — the lowest
> Total population in 2019: 578,759 — the lowest
40. North Dakota
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 8 — 5th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 762,062 — 4th lowest
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39. New Hampshire
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 14 — 8th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,359,711 — 10th lowest
38. Connecticut
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 36 — 14th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,565,287 — 22nd lowest
37. Louisiana
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 46 — 22nd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 4,648,794 — 25th highest
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36. Washington
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 76 — 17th highest
> Total population in 2019: 7,614,893 — 13th highest
35. Pennsylvania
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 128 — 11th highest
> Total population in 2019: 12,801,989 — 5th highest
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34. Texas
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 290 — 2nd highest
> Total population in 2019: 28,995,881 — 2nd highest
33. Vermont
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.1
> Total KFC restaurants: 7 — 3rd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 623,989 — 2nd lowest
32. Delaware
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.1
> Total KFC restaurants: 11 — 7th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 973,764 — 6th lowest
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31. Hawaii
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.1
> Total KFC restaurants: 16 — 11th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,415,872 — 11th lowest
30. Wisconsin
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.1
> Total KFC restaurants: 64 — 23rd highest
> Total population in 2019: 5,822,434 — 20th highest
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29. Maryland
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.1
> Total KFC restaurants: 67 — 22nd highest
> Total population in 2019: 6,045,680 — 19th highest
28. California
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.1
> Total KFC restaurants: 435 — the highest
> Total population in 2019: 39,512,223 — the highest
27. Nebraska
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.2
> Total KFC restaurants: 23 — 13th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,934,408 — 14th lowest
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26. Utah
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.2
> Total KFC restaurants: 38 — 18th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,205,958 — 21st lowest
25. Oregon
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.2
> Total KFC restaurants: 51 — 24th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 4,217,737 — 24th lowest
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24. Colorado
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.2
> Total KFC restaurants: 69 — 19th highest
> Total population in 2019: 5,758,736 — 21st highest
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23. Missouri
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.2
> Total KFC restaurants: 74 — 18th highest
> Total population in 2019: 6,137,428 — 18th highest
22. Illinois
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.2
> Total KFC restaurants: 152 — 9th highest
> Total population in 2019: 12,671,821 — 6th highest
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21. Florida
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.2
> Total KFC restaurants: 258 — 3rd highest
> Total population in 2019: 21,477,737 — 3rd highest
20. Rhode Island
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.3
> Total KFC restaurants: 14 — 9th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,059,361 — 7th lowest
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19. Maine
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.3
> Total KFC restaurants: 17 — 12th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,344,212 — 9th lowest
18. Kansas
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.3
> Total KFC restaurants: 38 — 17th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 2,913,314 — 16th lowest
17. Nevada
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.3
> Total KFC restaurants: 40 — 20th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,080,156 — 19th lowest
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16. Iowa
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.3
> Total KFC restaurants: 41 — 21st lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,155,070 — 20th lowest
15. Virginia
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.4
> Total KFC restaurants: 119 — 13th highest
> Total population in 2019: 8,535,519 — 12th highest
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14. Georgia
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.5
> Total KFC restaurants: 159 — 7th highest
> Total population in 2019: 10,617,423 — 8th highest
13. Michigan
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.6
> Total KFC restaurants: 160 — 6th highest
> Total population in 2019: 9,986,857 — 10th highest
12. Oklahoma
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.7
> Total KFC restaurants: 67 — 21st highest
> Total population in 2019: 3,956,971 — 23rd lowest
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11. North Carolina
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.7
> Total KFC restaurants: 178 — 5th highest
> Total population in 2019: 10,488,084 — 9th highest
10. Ohio
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.7
> Total KFC restaurants: 199 — 4th highest
> Total population in 2019: 11,689,100 — 7th highest
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9. New Mexico
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 38 — 16th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 2,096,829 — 15th lowest
8. Alabama
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 88 — 16th highest
> Total population in 2019: 4,903,185 — 24th highest
7. Indiana
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.8
> Total KFC restaurants: 121 — 12th highest
> Total population in 2019: 6,732,219 — 17th highest
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6. South Carolina
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.9
> Total KFC restaurants: 98 — 15th highest
> Total population in 2019: 5,148,714 — 23rd highest
5. Tennessee
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 1.9
> Total KFC restaurants: 130 — 10th highest
> Total population in 2019: 6,829,174 — 16th highest
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4. Arkansas
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 2.0
> Total KFC restaurants: 60 — 24th highest
> Total population in 2019: 3,017,804 — 18th lowest
3. West Virginia
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 2.1
> Total KFC restaurants: 38 — 15th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,792,147 — 13th lowest
2. Mississippi
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 2.3
> Total KFC restaurants: 68 — 20th highest
> Total population in 2019: 2,976,149 — 17th lowest
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1. Kentucky
> All KFC restaurants per 100K people: 2.3
> Total KFC restaurants: 103 — 14th highest
> Total population in 2019: 4,467,673 — 25th lowest
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