This article is from the spring 2026 issue of VICE magazine, THE NOT THE PHOTO ISSUE. Buy it now—or get 4 issues each year sent straight to your door, by subscribing.
Every year, Pornhub reveals what randy people in all 50 U.S. states have been searching for most avidly on its website. The results usually raise a lot of questions. Wanting to get the “why” behind who was getting off to what and where, we spoke to our friend Birna Gustafsson, a university instructor on sexuality in clinical practice in NYC.
“People tend to be aroused by things that influenced them during puberty”
Why Does New York Search for… “Dominican”?
Birna Gustafsson: There are a lot of Dominicans in NYC, so two things could be going on here: Dominicans searching for themselves, or people who grew up around Dominicans who find them hot. People tend to be aroused by things that influenced them during puberty.
Why Does West Virginia Search for… “Redneck”?
This one surprised me, because West Virginians have a long history of being shamed as impoverished “rednecks.” This might be them searching for a thing that brings them shame, like men who get put down for being feminine searching for sissy porn. Maybe West Virginians are eroticizing their humiliation here? Or maybe they’re not humiliated at all and are just like, “Hell yeah, redneck porn! That’s what I need to see, because I’m redneck and I’m proud.”
Why Does Missouri Search for… “Boner”?
Missouri is a more conservative state. It could just be that they don’t know what to search for and think this will help them find what they want?
Why Does Michigan Search for… “PAWG”?
First off, PAWG is a totally porn-brained term. It’s a search term for those who are well-versed in porn culture, unlike the folks in Missouri, perhaps. Michigan has a high white population, so it might be people looking for the girl-next-door type they found hot growing up. At the same time, Detroit has a really high black population. Is it them searching for PAWG? That would change things. There is a race factor to a lot of this stuff.
Why Does Maine Search for… “Granny Sex”?
Elderly sex is always taboo. Many assume that people stop having sex at a certain age, so eroticizing the old is inherently subversive. Maine is more liberal, so it might be the case that they’ve exhausted all the other taboos and fucking grandma is all that’s left.
Why Does Washington State Search for… “Pegging”?
I’m not surprised. I would guess that a lot of people move to Washington because they have a very specific type of progressive value-set. Pegging subverts masculinity scripts and that is par for the course, I think, for a lot of people in Washington. There’s also a huge portion of the state that’s rural, just loggers and farmland. Do those guys secretly want to be pegged, too?
Why Does Iowa Search for… “Amish”?
In Iowa, the Amish population is rising. It’s something people talk about, it’s in the news a lot. It’s very common to eroticize “the other.” There have been movies, like Witness in the 1990s, that eroticize the Amish. They’re covered up, they live in separate communities, they’re not allowed to talk to you, and that makes people curious. A lot of us want what we can see but can’t have.
“They really celebrate shaking fat ass in Louisiana”
Why Does Louisiana Search for… “Thicc”?
This makes total sense. It’s the birthplace of bounce music, they have Mardi Gras… They really celebrate shaking fat ass in Louisiana.
Why Does Alaska Search for… “Big Women”?
There’s something very survivalist about Alaska bleeding through here. She can chop down a tree. She can plough through the snow. She will keep you warm. She’s coming to get you.
Why Does Washington D.C. Search for… “Dildo Sucking”?
Is it the skill—the sense of technical accomplishment—that people in DC value, or is it more of a down-low gay thing? In a high power environment, all of these forces could be at work.
VICE: Closeted Republicans aside, could there also be powerful men wanting to experience submission?
Yes. It could also be that they just want to watch blow-job porn but can’t, because that’s somehow “gay.” So, they’ll do this instead, because that’s somehow “less gay.”
Why Does Connecticut Search for… “Feet Worship”?
It’s interesting to me how many people in Connecticut want to kiss and lick and bow down to feet. But it’s not that surprising, there are a lot of rich men in Connecticut.
This article is from the spring 2026 issue of VICE magazine, THE NOT THE PHOTO ISSUE. Buy it now—or get 4 issues each year sent straight to your door, by subscribing.
The post Which Type of Porn Does Your U.S. State Love Best? appeared first on VICE.
