Which Seafood Is Most Searched Across the 50 States?

A new report by Fulton Fish Market analyzes seafood search demand and signals across all 50 states using search data. We ranked the top 5 seafood by state and analyzed favorite, and top-rising seafood.

• Salmon and crab rank top 1 in 14 states each, with crawfish leading in 8 states, lobster in 6, and mahi mahi in 4.
  
• Across the top 5 lists, salmon and crab dominate the first two slots in many states, with crawfish, lobster, and mahi mahi frequently appearing in the Top 3 to Top 5.
  
• Crawfish is the most seasonally searched seafood in 23 states, followed by salmon in 7 states, lobster in 6 states, and crab in 5 states.

Most Searched Seafood by State

Oysters and crab are the most searched seafood at the national level, followed by crawfish and salmon.

A state's favorite Seafood is the one with the highest average monthly searches. Salmon and crab dominate overall, while crawfish, lobster, and mahi mahi form strong regional clusters. Niche leaders emerge in select states.

• Salmon and crab are tied as the most popular, each ranking first in 14 states.
  
• Crawfish leads in 8 states, lobster in 6, and mahi mahi in 4 states.
  
• Single-state leaders include cod, oysters, perch, and sardines.
  

Most Searched Seafood Last Quarter

The most trendy seafood per state is defined by the highest three-month change in search volume, with ties broken by greater average monthly searches. Perch and mahi mahi show the most momentum, and pangasius and snapper also rise in multiple regions.

• Perch shows the strongest recent growth in 15 states.
• Mahi mahi is trending in 13 states.
• Pangasius and snapper stand out in 5 states each.
• Other notable names: haddock, lobster, crab, mackerel, cod, and mussels, each leading in a handful of states.

Most Popular Seasonal Seafood by State

We measure seasonality by looking at each fish in each state and finding how much its monthly search interest increases from its lowest month to its highest month. This captures how strongly attention concentrates in a particular window, distinguishing evergreen staples from species with pronounced peaks tied to harvests, festivals, or regional traditions. In our results, crawfish shows the largest swings, followed by salmon, lobster, crab, and mahi mahi.

• Crawfish has the largest seasonal swing in 23 states.
• Salmon leads seasonality in 7 states, lobster in 6, crab in 5, and mahi mahi in 3 states.

Top 5 Seafood by State

Each state’s seafood are ranked by average monthly searches, with the top five listed. Salmon and crab often head the rankings, joined by crawfish, lobster, and mahi mahi. Regional specialties and niche favorites appear in the mid-to-lower ranks.

Top 5 Seafood by State

Data by State

Methodology

• Source: Google Keyword Planner was used to obtain search demand.
  
• Data Preparation: Data columns were standardized and values cleaned for consistency.
  
• Seasonality Measurement: Searches monthly columns (Jul 2023–Jun 2025) were analyzed to quantify seasonality.
• Processing Steps:
  • Favorite seafood by state: Selected the seafood with the highest average monthly searches.
    
  • Top 5 seafood by state: Ranked all seafood by average monthly searches and kept the top five per state.
    
  • Most trendy seafood by state: Used the highest three-month search change, breaking ties using average monthly searches.
    
  • Most seasonal seafood by state: For each seafood-state pair, calculated seasonality as the maximum minus minimum monthly searches, choosing the largest swing per state.

Outputs

• Mappings of favorite, trendy, and seasonal seafood by state.
  
• Tabular presentation of top 5 seafood by state.