Now Reading: How Nielsen’s new ‘Fandom Index’ ranked local NFL fanbases 1-32
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How Nielsen’s new ‘Fandom Index’ ranked local NFL fanbases 1-32
How Nielsen’s new ‘Fandom Index’ ranked local NFL fanbases 1-32
Aug. 17, 2026, 2:13 p.m. ET
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.
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.”
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.”
Here’s a look at the full ranking of every NFL fan market, according to Nielsen’s new “Fandom Index”:
Nielsen ‘Fandom Index’ rankings
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.
