Taco Bell is one of the best-known fast food chains in the United States. Unlike McDonald’s and Burger King, which are strongly associated with burgers and fries, it offers a range of Mexican-inspired foods, including its namesake tacos, as well as burritos, quesadillas, and nachos, and various hybrids with proprietary names. It has more than 7,500 outlets across the country. (For something more authentic, consider the best hidden gem Mexican restaurant in every state.)
To determine which states have the most Taco Bells, 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 Taco Bell population per 100,000 residents, lowest to highest. Ties were broken using the total number of Taco Bell restaurants in the state.
Click here to see the Taco Bell capitals of America
Five states tied for the title of Taco Bell capital of America in terms of per capita number of units: Tennessee, West Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, and Arkansas. Like McDonald’s and Burger King, the chain obviously has a strong presence in the South. And while West Virginia may be an outlier in terms of geography, it seems to attract fast food chains of every brand. (These are the most successful restaurant chains in America.)
Vermont, on the other hand, has the fewest Taco Bells, both per capita (with just 0.8 per 100,000 people) and in total. It’s not very hospitable to big corporations, and the state capital of Montpelier boasts about not being home to any fast food chains. Massachusetts and New York come next on the list, with just one Taco Bell per 100,000 people. A trend is evident in our rankings for this and other chains — big in the South, not so big in the Northeast.
50. Vermont
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 0.8
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 5 — the lowest
> Total population in 2019: 623,989 — 2nd lowest
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49. Massachusetts
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 69 — 19th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 6,892,503 — 15th highest
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48. New York
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.0
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 195 — 13th highest
> Total population in 2019: 19,453,561 — 4th highest
47. New Jersey
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.1
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 98 — 25th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 8,882,190 — 11th highest
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46. North Dakota
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.4
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 11 — 2nd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 762,062 — 4th lowest
45. Connecticut
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.4
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 50 — 14th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,565,287 — 22nd lowest
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44. Pennsylvania
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.4
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 179 — 15th highest
> Total population in 2019: 12,801,989 — 5th highest
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43. Delaware
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 15 — 4th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 973,764 — 6th lowest
42. Rhode Island
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 16 — 6th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,059,361 — 7th lowest
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41. Maine
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 20 — 8th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,344,212 — 9th lowest
40. New Hampshire
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 20 — 10th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,359,711 — 10th lowest
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39. Minnesota
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 85 — 22nd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 5,639,632 — 22nd highest
38. Maryland
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 91 — 23rd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 6,045,680 — 19th highest
37. Iowa
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.7
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 54 — 15th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,155,070 — 20th lowest
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36. South Dakota
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.8
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 16 — 7th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 884,659 — 5th lowest
35. Idaho
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.8
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 32 — 12th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,787,065 — 12th lowest
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34. Montana
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.9
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 20 — 9th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,068,778 — 8th lowest
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33. Utah
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.9
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 61 — 17th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,205,958 — 21st lowest
32. Washington
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 1.9
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 145 — 18th highest
> Total population in 2019: 7,614,893 — 13th highest
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31. Alaska
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.1
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 15 — 5th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 731,545 — 3rd lowest
30. Hawaii
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.1
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 30 — 11th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,415,872 — 11th lowest
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29. Illinois
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.1
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 266 — 6th highest
> Total population in 2019: 12,671,821 — 6th highest
28. Florida
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.1
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 451 — 3rd highest
> Total population in 2019: 21,477,737 — 3rd highest
27. California
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.1
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 830 — the highest
> Total population in 2019: 39,512,223 — the highest
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26. Nebraska
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.2
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 43 — 13th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,934,408 — 14th lowest
25. South Carolina
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.2
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 113 — 23rd highest
> Total population in 2019: 5,148,714 — 23rd highest
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24. Wisconsin
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.3
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 134 — 21st highest
> Total population in 2019: 5,822,434 — 20th highest
23. Georgia
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.3
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 244 — 8th highest
> Total population in 2019: 10,617,423 — 8th highest
22. Texas
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.3
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 667 — 2nd highest
> Total population in 2019: 28,995,881 — 2nd highest
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21. Wyoming
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.4
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 14 — 3rd lowest
> Total population in 2019: 578,759 — the lowest
20. Virginia
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.4
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 205 — 12th highest
> Total population in 2019: 8,535,519 — 12th highest
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19. North Carolina
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.4
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 252 — 7th highest
> Total population in 2019: 10,488,084 — 9th highest
18. Arizona
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 182 — 14th highest
> Total population in 2019: 7,278,717 — 14th highest
17. Nevada
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.6
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 80 — 20th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 3,080,156 — 19th lowest
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16. Colorado
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.6
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 150 — 16th highest
> Total population in 2019: 5,758,736 — 21st highest
15. Oregon
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.7
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 114 — 22nd highest
> Total population in 2019: 4,217,737 — 24th lowest
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14. New Mexico
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.8
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 59 — 16th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 2,096,829 — 15th lowest
13. Mississippi
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.8
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 83 — 21st lowest
> Total population in 2019: 2,976,149 — 17th lowest
12. Oklahoma
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.8
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 111 — 24th highest
> Total population in 2019: 3,956,971 — 23rd lowest
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11. Alabama
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.8
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 137 — 19th highest
> Total population in 2019: 4,903,185 — 24th highest
10. Louisiana
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 2.9
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 135 — 20th highest
> Total population in 2019: 4,648,794 — 25th highest
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9. Michigan
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.0
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 300 — 5th highest
> Total population in 2019: 9,986,857 — 10th highest
8. Kansas
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.2
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 93 — 24th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 2,913,314 — 16th lowest
7. Ohio
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.2
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 374 — 4th highest
> Total population in 2019: 11,689,100 — 7th highest
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6. Kentucky
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.3
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 147 — 17th highest
> Total population in 2019: 4,467,673 — 25th lowest
5. West Virginia
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 63 — 18th lowest
> Total population in 2019: 1,792,147 — 13th lowest
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4. Arkansas
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 106 — 25th highest
> Total population in 2019: 3,017,804 — 18th lowest
3. Missouri
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 215 — 11th highest
> Total population in 2019: 6,137,428 — 18th highest
2. Indiana
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 236 — 10th highest
> Total population in 2019: 6,732,219 — 17th highest
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1. Tennessee
> All Taco Bell restaurants per 100K people: 3.5
> Total Taco Bell restaurants: 239 — 9th highest
> Total population in 2019: 6,829,174 — 16th highest
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