Data report · Updated October 2026
Most popular men's haircut by state: the fade leads in 23 states, the buzz cut in 16
State-by-state survey results from 2025, set beside a 2021 Google Trends map of the most-searched men's styles.
The fade is the favorite men's haircut in 23 states and the buzz cut in 16, based on a January 2025 survey of 7,100 Americans for Hims[1][2]. Nationally, 14% picked the fade and 12% the buzz cut[2]. Only 11 states chose something else, led by the classic boy cut in five[1].
23
states where the fade is the favorite men's haircut (2025 survey)[1]
16
states where the buzz cut is the favorite (2025 survey)[1]
14%
of Americans who named the fade as their favorite men's style[2]
23%
of Wyoming respondents picked the buzz cut, the highest share for any state's winner[1]
6
states where 'undercut' was the most-Googled men's style (2021)[3]
By Jessica Hamilton, Editor · Published · Updated · Free to reuse with credit (CC BY 4.0)
Key findings
- In a January 2025 survey of 7,100 Americans aged 18 to 65, the fade was the favorite men's hairstyle in 23 states and the buzz cut in 16[1][2].
- Nationally, 14% named the fade, 12% the buzz cut, 10.5% the classic boy cut, 8% long layers and 7% the side part; the pompadour was least popular at 3%[2].
- Eleven states picked a style other than a fade or buzz cut: five chose the classic boy cut, and two each chose the side part, the slick back and long layers[1].
- Wyoming gave the strongest single-state result, with 23% naming the buzz cut; West Virginia (21% fade) and Vermont (20% long layers) came next[1].
- Search data tells a different story: in a 2021 Google Trends analysis, the undercut was the most-searched men's style in six states and the mullet in four[3].
- Nebraska is the only state where the 2025 survey favorite (buzz cut) and the 2021 most-Googled men's style (buzz cut) are the same, a menhaircuts.net comparison of the two datasets[1][3].
- Gen Z men in the 2025 survey were less likely than Gen X men to pick a buzz cut and more likely to prefer undercuts, Caesar cuts, fringes and quiffs[2].
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What is the most popular men's haircut in each state?
The best state-level dataset published so far comes from a Hims survey fielded in January 2025 by the independent research firm Culture Co-op[2]. It asked 7,100 people aged 18 to 65, "What is your favorite hairstyle for men?" and sampled about 100 people in every state[2]. Hims released the winning style and its share for each state as a downloadable file[1].
The table below lists every state's winner from that file. Next to it is a second, older measure: the men's style each state searched for most on Google over 12 months, from a Google Trends analysis Shane Co. published in November 2021[3]. The two columns answer different questions. The survey asks what people like; the search data shows what people looked up, which often means a style they were curious about or planning to try.
Read the percentages as rough guides. With roughly 100 respondents per state, a gap of a point or two between styles is small, and a state's winner often took less than a fifth of the vote.
| State | Favorite men's style, 2025 survey | Share naming it | Most-Googled men's style, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Side part | 11% | Caesar cut |
| Alaska | Classic boy cut | 16% | Crew cut |
| Arizona | Fade | 14% | French crop |
| Arkansas | Slick back | 11% | Half-up, half-down |
| California | Fade | 15% | Hi-top fade |
| Colorado | Fade | 15% | Curtained hair |
| Connecticut | Fade | 12% | Buzz cut |
| Delaware | Fade | 18% | Dreadlocks |
| Florida | Fade | 16% | Curly undercut |
| Georgia | Fade | 13% | Afro fade |
| Hawaii | Side part | 14% | High fade |
| Idaho | Fade | 12% | Quiff |
| Illinois | Fade | 15.5% | Line up |
| Indiana | Fade | 18% | Ducktail |
| Iowa | Classic boy cut | 15% | Shag |
| Kansas | Classic boy cut | 14% | High fade |
| Kentucky | Buzz cut | 15% | Undercut |
| Louisiana | Fade | 18% | Half-up, half-down |
| Maine | Buzz cut | 17% | Undercut |
| Maryland | Buzz cut | 14% | Cornrows |
| Massachusetts | Buzz cut | 18% | Man bangs |
| Michigan | Fade | 13% | Line up |
| Minnesota | Fade | 17% | Undercut |
| Mississippi | Fade | 16% | Mohawk |
| Missouri | Buzz cut | 15% | French crop |
| Montana | Buzz cut | 14% | Mullet |
| Nebraska | Buzz cut | 13% | Buzz cut |
| Nevada | Buzz cut | 13% | Comb over |
| New Hampshire | Classic boy cut | 15% | Mullet |
| New Jersey | Classic boy cut | 17% | French crop |
| New Mexico | Fade | 14% | Faux hawk |
| New York | Buzz cut | 17% | Flat top |
| North Carolina | Fade | 14% | Curly undercut |
| North Dakota | Slick back | 14% | Pompadour |
| Ohio | Fade | 18% | Curly undercut |
| Oklahoma | Buzz cut | 14% | Mullet |
| Oregon | Buzz cut | 15% | Man bangs |
| Pennsylvania | Fade | 20% | Mop top |
| Rhode Island | Fade | 13% | Bowl cut |
| South Carolina | Fade | 18% | Afro fade |
| South Dakota | Long layers | 14% | Undercut |
| Tennessee | Fade | 16% | Afro fade |
| Texas | Fade | 18% | Hi-top fade |
| Utah | Buzz cut | 14% | Pompadour |
| Vermont | Long layers | 20% | Buzz cut |
| Virginia | Buzz cut | 17% | Flat top |
| Washington | Buzz cut | 15% | Mullet |
| West Virginia | Fade | 21% | Man bun |
| Wisconsin | Buzz cut | 11% | Undercut |
| Wyoming | Buzz cut | 23% | Undercut |
How many states prefer the fade?
Twenty-three of the 50 states named the fade as their favorite men's haircut, which is 46% of states (menhaircuts.net calculation: 23 ÷ 50)[1]. The buzz cut won 16 states. Together the two short, clipper-based cuts took 39 states, leaving 11 for everything else[1].
Fade states stretch from Pennsylvania (20%) and Ohio (18%) through the South, including Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina at 18% each, to California and Colorado at 15%[1]. If a fade is on your list, our fade types guide explains low, mid, high and skin fades.
Show the numbers
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Fade | 23 |
| Buzz cut | 16 |
| Classic boy cut | 5 |
| Side part | 2 |
| Slick back | 2 |
| Long layers | 2 |
Which states prefer the buzz cut?
The buzz cut was the favorite in 16 states: Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming[1]. Wyoming's 23% is the highest share any state gave its winning style in the whole survey[1]. Massachusetts (18%), Maine, New York and Virginia (17% each) follow[1].
Wisconsin is the closest call. The buzz cut won there with only 11%, the joint lowest winning share alongside Alabama's side part and Arkansas's slick back[1]. For clipper lengths and shapes, see our buzz cut styles guide.
Which states break from the fade and buzz cut?
Eleven states chose a different favorite[1][2]. The classic boy cut, a short scissor cut with a little length on top, won five: New Jersey (17%), Alaska (16%), Iowa (15%), New Hampshire (15%) and Kansas (14%)[1].
Two states each went for the side part (Hawaii 14%, Alabama 11%), the slick back (North Dakota 14%, Arkansas 11%) and long layers (Vermont 20%, South Dakota 14%)[1]. Vermont's long-layers result is one of the strongest in the file, tied with Pennsylvania's fade for the third-highest winning share[1]. Hims also reported that Hawaii was the state most likely to favor the pompadour, even though the pompadour came last nationally[2].
One small mismatch: the syndicated article gives New Jersey's classic boy cut share as 18%, while Hims's own data file lists 17%[2][1]. This page uses the file.
| State | Favorite style | Share naming it |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | Long layers | 20% |
| New Jersey | Classic boy cut | 17% |
| Alaska | Classic boy cut | 16% |
| Iowa | Classic boy cut | 15% |
| New Hampshire | Classic boy cut | 15% |
| Hawaii | Side part | 14% |
| Kansas | Classic boy cut | 14% |
| North Dakota | Slick back | 14% |
| South Dakota | Long layers | 14% |
| Alabama | Side part | 11% |
| Arkansas | Slick back | 11% |
What is the most popular men's haircut in America overall?
Across the whole sample, the fade came first at 14%, the buzz cut second at 12% and the classic boy cut third at 10.5%[2]. Long layers (8%) and the side part (7%) rounded out the top five, and the pompadour was least popular at 3%[2]. The fade and buzz cut together account for about a quarter of all answers[2].
These shares include answers from both men and women, so they describe what Americans like to see on men, not only what men wear[2]. Age shifts the picture too. Gen Z men were less likely than Gen X men to choose a buzz cut and leaned toward undercuts, Caesar cuts, fringes and quiffs[2].
Which men's haircut does each state search for most on Google?
Shane Co. used Google Trends search volume over the 12 months before November 2021 to find the men's hairstyle each state searched for most[3]. The undercut led six states (Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming) and the mullet four (Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington)[3].
Buzz cut, French crop, curly undercut and afro fade tied for third with three states each[3]. Eight more styles topped two states apiece, counting Washington, D.C. for cornrows, among them the hi-top fade in California and Texas. Other styles led a single state each, such as the man bun in West Virginia[3].
Search leaders may skew toward styles people need to look up before asking a barber, such as a mullet or curly undercut, rather than familiar cuts. That is one reason the search map and the survey rarely agree: by a menhaircuts.net comparison of the two lists, Nebraska is the only state where both name the same style, the buzz cut[1][3].
Show the numbers
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Undercut | 6 |
| Mullet | 4 |
| Buzz cut | 3 |
| French crop | 3 |
| Curly undercut | 3 |
| Afro fade | 3 |
| Hi-top fade | 2 |
| High fade | 2 |
| Man bangs | 2 |
| Pompadour | 2 |
What do national Google search rankings show for men's haircuts?
State maps are recent, but Google has also published national search rankings. In its 2015 US hair care report, built on search volume from January 2013 to August 2015, "fade haircut" had a search index of 22 against 100 for the top query, "short haircuts", and grew 87% year over year[4]. "Taper fade" (index 11, up 57%), "comb over" (10, up 51%) and "buzz cut" (6, up 27%) followed among men's cut terms[4].
Google's 2023 Year in Search quiz listed the most-searched haircuts since Google Trends began in 2004 as the bob, mullet, undercut, pixie and box braids, and noted that the buzz cut was not in that top five[5]. Those all-time rankings mix women's and men's styles, which is why the bob leads, but they help explain why the mullet and undercut top several states in the 2021 search map[3].
Show the numbers
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Fade haircut | 22 |
| Haircuts for men | 21 |
| Taper fade | 11 |
| Comb over | 10 |
| Buzz cut | 6 |
| High and tight | 6 |
| High top fade | 4 |
Why do survey favorites and Google searches differ by state?
The two datasets measure different things and were collected more than three years apart. The Hims survey (January 2025) records stated preference from about 100 people per state[2]. The Shane Co. map (2021) ranks search interest relative to each state's own search activity, and the article does not publish its full list of search terms[3].
Survey answers favor familiar, easy-to-name cuts like the fade and buzz cut. Search data favors styles with a learning curve or a viral moment, which helps explain the mullet's four states and the strong showing for textured styles such as curly undercuts and afro fades[3].
If you are choosing a cut, the survey is the better guide to what most people around you consider a safe, liked look. The search map is the better guide to what is trending or being tried. Our fades and tapers guide covers the most common choice in either list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular men's haircut in the US?
How many states prefer the fade?
Which state likes the buzz cut most?
Which states do not pick a fade or buzz cut?
What men's hairstyle do most states Google?
What is the least popular men's haircut?
What is the most searched haircut on Google of all time?
Methodology and limitations
This page combines two published state-level datasets. The survey columns come from the state data file Hims released with its 2025 study (get.hims.com, 50 rows: state, winning style, share of respondents naming it) and the study description syndicated by Stacker in April 2025: a 7,100-person online survey of 18 to 65 year olds fielded in January 2025 by Culture Co-op, with about 100 respondents per state. The search column was read from the state map and chart graphics in Shane Co.'s November 2021 article, which used Google Trends search volume over the previous 12 months. State counts per style, the 46% share of fade states and the one-state overlap between the datasets are menhaircuts.net tallies of those published lists. No Google Trends data was pulled directly for this page.
Limitations
Each state result rests on roughly 100 survey respondents, so small differences between styles are within normal sampling noise, and the survey reports only each state's winner, not the full ranking. Respondents included men and women, so results reflect preference for how men's hair looks, not what men currently wear. Where the syndicated article and the Hims file differ (New Jersey: 18% vs 17%), the file is used. The Google Trends map is from 2021, uses relative search interest rather than volume, did not publish its search-term list, and includes Washington, D.C. Search interest shows curiosity, not adoption. Neither dataset measures barbershop bookings.
Every figure on this page links to its source. Numbers are reported as published; any menhaircuts.net calculation is labelled and shows its inputs. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it.
Sources
- Hair styles by state (data file), Hims (2025). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- This is the most popular men's hairstyle in every state, Hims via Stacker (republished by KTVZ) (2025). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- The Most Popular Hairstyle in Every State, Shane Co. (The Loupe) (2021). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Beauty Trends 2015: Hair Care Edition (U.S.), Think with Google (2015). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Quiz: How well do you know the most-searched trends?, Google (The Keyword blog) (2023). Accessed October 15, 2026.
Cite, embed and download
This report, its charts and its infographic are free to reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Credit menhaircuts.net with a link to this page.
Cite this report (APA)
Hamilton, J. (2026, October 15). Most Popular Men's Haircut by State: 2026 Data. menhaircuts.net. https://menhaircuts.net/stats/most-popular-haircut-by-state/
Link to this report
<a href="https://menhaircuts.net/stats/most-popular-haircut-by-state/">Most Popular Men's Haircut by State: 2026 Data</a> (menhaircuts.net, CC BY 4.0)Share the headline number
23: states where the fade is the favorite men's haircut (2025 survey) (Hims, via menhaircuts.net/stats/most-popular-haircut-by-state/)
Download the charts and infographic
- Number of states where each style is the favorite men's haircut, 2025 (PNG)
- Share naming the buzz cut as favorite, top buzz cut states, 2025 (PNG)
- Favorite men's hairstyle nationally, share of respondents, January 2025 (PNG)
- Number of states where each men's style was the most-Googled, 2021 (PNG)
- Google US search index for men's haircut terms, mid-2015 (top hair-cut query = 100) (PNG)
- Infographic: Most Popular Men's Haircut by State (PNG, 1000 x 1500)
Related data
- 14%picked the fade as their favorite men's hairstyle (US, January 2025)Most Popular Men's Haircuts 2026
- 14%of US adults name the fade as their favorite men's hairstyle (2025)Fade Haircut Statistics 2026
- 16%of UK men wear a buzz cut, the most common style (2025)Buzz Cut Statistics 2026
- 16%of UK men wear a buzz cut, the most common style (2025)Most Popular Men's Haircuts by Country
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