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America's Favorite Vinyl Records By State

From hipsters to former hippies, music fans spent the past decade trying to resurrect the vinyl record. According to the Nielsen Music Year-End Report U.S. 2016, 13.1 million vinyl albums were sold in 2016 (up from 11.88 million in 2015), representing 6.5% of total album sales. This is an all-time high in the Nielsen Music era. 38.9 million physical albums (CDs, cassettes, vinyl LPs) were sold online, via mail-order or at concert venues.

So who buys vinyl these days? What kind of music do they listen to?


With a big assist from the fine folks at eBay, I've put together a list of each U.S. state's favorite vinyl albums in 2016.

Here's the methodology:

"Favorite" means the album a state buys at the highest rate compared to that state's total share of the volume of records purchased.

So let's say California is responsible for 20% of all record sales nationally. Let's also say that California is responsible for 40% of Nirvana's Nevermind sales. If that 20% difference is the largest in for the state, then Nevermind is California's favorite album.

We used this method (as opposed to just top-selling albums) in an attempt to create a more diverse snapshot of the country and highlight states' unique tastes.

To rule out outliers, the data is limited to the top 100 selling albums. For example, let's say an album only sold 10 copies, and eight of them were in California. Though California purchased 80% of the albums, it's only 10 albums.

The top 100 limit gives us a floor for the data set.

Got it? Cool. Let's start with a point of reference...

Here are eBay's Top-Selling Albums U.S.

Think you know your state's favorite albums? Scroll on down to see if you're right.

(Alaska and Wyoming excluded due to lack of data. States are listed alphabetically)

Alabama:

1. Lateralus – Tool

2. Blurryface – Twenty One Pilots

3. Journey’s Greatest Hits – Journey

Arizona:

1. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

2. Endless River – Pink Floyd

3. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

Arkansas:

1. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

2. 21 – Adele

3. Opiate – Tool

California:

1. Nevermind – Nirvana

2. All Eyez on Me – 2Pac

3. Al Green's Greatest Hits – Al Green

Colorado:

1. Lateralus – Tool

2. Revolver – The Beatles

3. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

Connecticut:

1. AM – Article Monkeys

2. By The Way – Red Hot Chili Peppers

3. Merry Christmas – Mariah Carey

Delaware:

1. What's Going On – Marvin Gaye

2. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

3. Band of Gypsys – Jimi Hendrix

District of Columbia:

1. Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest

2. Lemonade – Beyonce

3. Al Green’s Greatest Hits – Al Green

Florida:

1. A Night at the Opera – Queen

2. Queen – Queen

3. Parachutes – Coldplay

Georgia:

1. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stone

2. Sheer Heart Attack – Queen

3. Al Green’s Greatest Hits – Al Green

Hawaii:

1. Legend – Bob Marley

2. Come Away With Me – Norah Jones

3. My Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West

Idaho:

1. Back in Black – AD/DC

2. Is This It? – The Strokes

3. Endless River – Pink Floyd

Illinois:

1. Paranoid – Black Sabbath

2. Endless River – Pink Floyd

3. College Dropout – Kanye West

Indiana:

1. Lazaretto – Jack White

2. White Album – The Beatles

3. Dirt – Alice in Chains

Iowa:

1. Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette

2. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

3. Endless River – Pink Floyd

Kansas:

1. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

2. Thriller – Michael Jackson

3. Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette

Kentucky:

1. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

2. Blue and Lonesome – Rolling Stones

3. Birth of The Cool Round About Midnight – Miles Davis

Louisiana:

1. Lazaretto – Jack White

2. Journey’s Greatest Hits – Journey

3. Bleach – Nirvana

Maine:

1. Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette

2. Blue and Lonesome – Rolling Stones

3. Anti – Rihanna

Maryland:

1. College Dropout – Kanye West

2. Illmatic – NAS

3. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

Massachusetts:

1. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

2. Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes

3. Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest

Michigan:

1. Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chili Peppers

2. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

3. The White Album – The Beatles

Minnesota:

1. Purple Rain – Prince

2. AM – Artic Monkeys

3. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

Mississippi:

1. AM – Artic Monkeys

2. Chronicle – Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

Missouri:

1. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

2. Death of a Bachelor – Panic at the Disco

3. Dirt – Alice in Chains

Montana:

1. AM – Artic Monkeys

2. Your Illusion – Guns n Roses

3. Come Away With Me – Norah Jones

Nebraska:

1. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

2. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

3. College Dropout – Kanye West

Nevada:

1. Dirt – Alice in Chains

2. Channel Orange – Frank Ocean

3. Journey’s Greatest Hits – Journey

New Hampshire:

1. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

2. AM – Artic Monkeys

3. Kill ‘em All – Metallica

New Jersey:

1. Ride the Lightning – Metallica

2. The Works – Queen

3. Kill 'em All – Metallica

New Mexico:

1. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

2. Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes

3. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

New York:

1. Revolver – The Beatles

2. A Love Supreme – John Coltrane

3. Illmatic – NAS

North Carolina:

1. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac

2. Chronicle – Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. Come Away with Me – Norah Jones

North Dakota:

1. Band of Gypsys – Jimi Hendrix

2. Ten – Pearl Jam

3. Hotel California – Eagles

Ohio:

1. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

2. Vessel – Twenty One Pilots

3. Fas -- Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum – Deathspell Omega

Oklahoma:

1. Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits -- Fleetwood Mac

2. Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette

3. Dirt – Alice in Chains

Oregon:

1. Innerspeaker – Tame Impala

2. Paranoid – Black Sabbath

3. Enter the Wu-Tang – Wu-Tang Clan

Pennsylvania:

1. Parachutes – Coldplay

2. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

3. The White Album – The Beatles

Rhode Island:

1. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac

2. Fas -- Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum – Deathspell Omega

3. College Dropout – Kanye West

South Carolina:

1. AM – Artic Monkeys

2. Innerspeaker – Tame Impala

3. Legend – Bob Marley

South Dakota:

1. Goats Head Soup – Rolling Stones

2. Band of Gypsys – Jimi Hendrix

3. Birth of Cool – Miles Davis

Tennessee:

1. Fas – Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum – Deathspell Omega

2. Journey’s Greatest Hits – Journey

3. Blue & Lonesome – Rolling Stones

Texas:

1. Parachutes – Coldplay

2. Anti – Rihanna

3. Come Away With Me – Norah Jones

Utah:

1. Thriller – Michael Jackson

2. Chronicle – Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. Revolver – The Beatles

Vermont:

1. Dirt – Alice in Chains

2. My Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West

3. Anti – Rihanna

Virginia:

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the Way

2. A Love Supreme – John Coltrane

3. A Night at the Opera – Queen

Washington:

1. Dirt – Alice in Chains

2. The White Album – The Beatles

3. The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest

West Virginia:

1. Fas -- Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum – Deathspell Omega

2. Merry Christmas – Mariah Carey

3. Electric Ladyland – Jimi Hendrix

Wisconsin:

1. Fas -- Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum – Deathspell Omega

2. Back in Black – AC/DC

3. Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette



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