We pulled US state-level search interest for five metal searches (heavy metal, Metallica, Slipknot, Iron Maiden, metal music) over the past year. Averaged together, the top states are West Virginia, Wisconsin, Vermont, Nevada, New Mexico. Each band has its own stronghold: Metallica peaks in Rhode Island, Slipknot in Vermont, Iron Maiden in Wisconsin. The biggest states by population (California, Texas, New York) do not make the top 15 combined list.
Top 15 states, average of five metal searches (US, past 12 months)
| Rank | State | Average index | Heavy Metal | Metallica | Slipknot | Iron Maiden | Metal Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 65.4 | 62 | 57 | 48 | 60 | 100 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 60 | 65 | 73 | 38 | 100 | 24 |
| 3 | Vermont | 57.4 | 97 | 42 | 100 | 38 | 10 |
| 4 | Nevada | 56.2 | 100 | 70 | 21 | 59 | 31 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 53.6 | 69 | 75 | 53 | 46 | 25 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 52.8 | 82 | 100 | 25 | 41 | 16 |
| 7 | South Dakota | 49.4 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 9 | 20 |
| 8 | South Carolina | 49 | 74 | 58 | 28 | 37 | 48 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 47.8 | 75 | 76 | 33 | 24 | 31 |
| 10 | Colorado | 46.8 | 73 | 46 | 46 | 37 | 32 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 43.4 | 62 | 49 | 37 | 24 | 45 |
| 12 | Arizona | 43.4 | 58 | 53 | 34 | 33 | 39 |
| 13 | Arkansas | 43.4 | 54 | 97 | 31 | 11 | 24 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 43.2 | 57 | 58 | 33 | 39 | 29 |
| 15 | Maine | 42.6 | 41 | 50 | 48 | 36 | 38 |
Top 5 states for each search
| Search | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Metal | Nevada (100) | Vermont (97) | Rhode Island (82) | South Dakota (82) | Montana (80) |
| Metallica | Rhode Island (100) | Arkansas (97) | Tennessee (76) | New Mexico (75) | South Dakota (74) |
| Slipknot | Vermont (100) | Alaska (66) | South Dakota (62) | North Dakota (54) | New Mexico (53) |
| Iron Maiden | Wisconsin (100) | West Virginia (60) | Nevada (59) | Delaware (53) | New Hampshire (51) |
| Metal Music | West Virginia (100) | South Carolina (48) | Kentucky (45) | Wyoming (40) | Arizona (39) |
What it means
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Method
- Google search interest by state, US, past 12 months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026). Each search's top state = 100; "average index" is a plain mean across the five.
Cite and download
Free to use and cite with a link back to this page.
aisong.lol Research. (2026). Metal capitals: the metros that search for heavy metal most. aisong.lol. https://aisong.lol/research/metal-capitals-the-metros-that-search-for-heavy-metal-most
Use this data. Every table in this study as one spreadsheet-ready file.
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