When it comes to fan avidity, Bills Mafia reigns supreme. On the other hand, fans of the New York Jets and New York Giants have some work to do.
According to the inaugural “Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index” from media audience research firm Nielsen, the Buffalo Bills have the best fandom in the league. Bills fans scored 208 on the new index, which takes into account eight key metrics, Nielsen announced in a press release.
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The key metrics, all from Nielsen’s own data are apparel purchases, event attendance, streaming, social media following, TV viewership, radio listening, betting intent, and overall interest level. The firm noted that fanbases in Philadelphia and Cincinnati both ranked in the top five across several categories, which pushed Eagles and Bengals fans near the top of the index despite “neither lead[ing] a single metric outright.”
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Highmark Stadium. Buffalo Bills. Opening in 2026.
(Shawn Dowd, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)
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Highmark Stadium. Buffalo Bills. Opening in 2026.
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Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas Raiders. Opened in 2020.
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SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. Opened in 2020.
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Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta Falcons. Opened in 2017.
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U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota Vikings. Opened in 2016.
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Levi’s Stadium. San Francisco 49ers. Opened in 2014.
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MetLife Stadium. New York Giants and New York Jets. Opened in 2010.
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AT&T Stadium. Dallas Cowboys. Opened in 2009.
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Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis Colts. Opened in 2008.
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State Farm Stadium. Arizona Cardinals. Opened in 2006.
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Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia Eagles. Opened in 2003.
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Ford Field. Detroit Lions. Opened in 2002.
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NRG Stadium. Houston Texans. Opened in 2002.
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Gillette Stadium. New England Patriots. Opened in 2002.
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Lumen Field. Seattle Seahawks. Opened in 2002.
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Empower Field at Mile High. Denver Broncos. Opened in 2001.
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Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh Steelers. Opened in 2001.
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Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Browns. Opened in 1999.
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Nissan Stadium. Tennessee Titans. Opened in 1999.
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M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore Ravens. Opened in 1998.
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Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Opened in 1998.
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Northwest Stadium. Washington Football Team. Opened in 1997.
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Bank of America Stadium. Carolina Panthers. Opened in 1996.
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EverBank Stadium. Jacksonville Jaguars. Opened in 1995.
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Hard Rock Stadium. Miami Dolphins. Opened in 1987.
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Caesars Superdome. New Orleans Saints. Opened in 1975.
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Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City Chiefs. Opened in 1972.
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Lambeau Field. Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957.
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Soldier Field. Chicago Bears. Opened in 1924.
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On the flip side of the “quiet powerhouse” status of Philadelphia and Cincinnati are the local markets with the lowest ratings on the new index: Los Angeles and New York. The two markets that share an NFL team ranked 29th and 30th (out of 30), respectively, in Nielsen’s estimation of fan avidity.
Nielsen’s press release hypothesized that the split fandoms in each city were part of the reason for the lower rankings in the index. The firm also said in its release that fans in New York and L.A. – two of the top media market in the world – may be “saturated with other entertainment options,” which “likely dilutes per-capita NFL intensity.”
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Here’s a look at the full ranking of every NFL fan market, according to Nielsen’s new “Fandom Index”:
Nielsen ‘Fandom Index’ rankings
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Other notes from Nielsen ‘Fandom Index’
Nielsen did not provide the full index rankings for each of its key categories in its initial press release on Aug. 17, but it did share some notable takeaways from those metrics.
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Philadelphia, Houston, Boston and Chicago made up the top five of sports betting intent, in that order. Philadelphia is the only market in that group that ranks in the top 10 overall. Nielsen notes that “betting tracks with large, legalized-market populations and disposable income, NOT legacy passion,” which could explain why none of the top three (Buffalo, Kansas City, Green Bay) crack the top five in sports betting intent.
Indianapolis ranks much higher than its overall rank (17) compared to its social media engagement ranking (fourth).
Denver and Jacksonville are standout markets for streaming their teams’ games. Nielsen credits this trend to “younger or more digitally-native fan bases relative to their peers.”
Detroit and Green Bay “rank well ahead of what their market size would suggest” in terms of what Nielsen calls “merchandise/apparel culture.” The firm points to both fanbases’ “strong regional identity” as a possible reason for why they rank so high in the apparel purchase key metric despite smaller market sizes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nielsen’s new ‘Fandom Index’ ranks Bills fans first; Giants, Jets fans last
