What’s Going On With North Dakota And Ice Cream?

There are a lot of things North Dakotans take seriously — weather forecasts, pickup trucks, and whether it’s pronounced “pop” or “soda.” But apparently, ice cream is not one of them.

According to a new report from Innerbody, North Dakota ranks next-to-last in the nation when it comes to love for ice cream. That’s right. Out of all 50 states, we almost finished dead last in ice cream enthusiasm. Honestly, that feels a little suspicious.

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North Dakota And The Midwest Are Defending Their Ice Cream Reputation

I mean, have these people ever met someone from North Dakota standing in front of a Dairy Queen on the first 70-degree day of spring? It looks like concert tickets just went on sale.

Now, I’ll admit, everyone has opinions when it comes to ice cream. Favorite flavors. Favorite brands. Cup or cone. Sprinkles or no sprinkles. Personally, if someone even whispers the words “rocky road,” I suddenly forget all self-control. Winter, summer, blizzard conditions — bring it on.

Still, the report says our region isn’t exactly leading the frozen dessert fan club. Minnesota came in as the fourth least ice-cream-loving state, while South Dakota landed seventh from the bottom. Apparently the Upper Midwest is treating ice cream like it’s optional. That simply cannot be accurate.

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North Dakota’s Favorite Ice Cream Flavor Is Peak North Dakota

What makes this even more entertaining is how wildly different our favorite flavors are around the region. Minnesota loves strawberry. Montana leans toward cookie dough. South Dakota prefers cookies & cream. And North Dakota? Caramel.

Caramel feels very North Dakota, honestly. Dependable. Sweet. No unnecessary drama.

The rankings were based on Google Trends search data collected over a 12-month period. Researchers looked at searches for nearly 30 ice cream brands and about 50 flavors to figure out which states were searching for ice cream the most — and which flavors ruled each state.

So maybe North Dakotans aren’t constantly searching for ice cream online. That doesn’t mean we don’t love it. It probably just means we’re too busy eating it instead of Googling it.

And if you need me, I’ll be somewhere with a bowl of rocky road pretending this report never happened.