It’s divisive. It’s provincial. It’s a topic so revered, it often incites arguments among family and friends. I’m talking, of course, about pizza.
A food so beloved, 59% of Americans say pizza is their favorite — including 73% of Gen Z, 65% of millennials, and Gen X (63%), according to Clever Real Estate.
It’s held with such high regard, that some people said they’d consider moving for it.
Find your lowest rate. Start hereA piece of the pie
It’s simple, communal, ubiquitous, and, most importantly, delicious. Pizza. It’s no wonder that 59% of Americans claimed it as their favorite food, according to Clever Real Estate.
The quality makes such a big difference that a 35% share of those surveyed said they would consider moving to a city with better pizza — which increases to 52% for millennials and 48% for Gen Z. Separately, 35% also said they’d be more likely to consider moving to a neighborhood because of a popular, iconic pizza restaurant.
Taking pizza into account when buying a home may seem silly on its face. However, 58% said proximity to popular restaurants, including pizzerias, increases property values, 42% said they’d be more likely to move to a neighborhood that had multiple top-rated pizza places, and 25% would pay more for a home close to popular pizza places.
People in the Northeast had the most confidence in their local pies, with 67% saying their area had above-average pizza. The Midwest followed at 55%, then 48% in the West and 42% in the South.
New York took the top spot for best pizza at the state level, with 77% of those surveyed putting it in their top five. Illinois (56% top-five votes) and California (45%) finished second and third. Below are the top-10 pizza states:
| Rank | State | % selected in top five |
| 1 | New York | 77% |
| 2 | Illinois | 56% |
| 3 | California | 45% |
| 4 | New Jersey | 33% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 23% |
| 6 | Florida | 21% |
| 7 | Texas | 19% |
| 8 | Michigan | 18% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 17% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 15% |
Rochester, N.Y., led the city rankings with a score of 100. Closely trailing, Philadelphia (98.9), Boston (97.7), Detroit (97.4) and Buffalo, N.Y. (97.4) rounded out the top five.
While those rankings may sound preposterous to some or even most, they are based on multiple factors beyond just taste. Below are Clever Real Estate’s top-20 pizza cities in the U.S.:
| Rank | City | Overall Score | Reputation Ranking From Survey | Pizza Passion Score* | Pizza Restaurants per 100,000 Residents | Average Yelp Rating | Avg Large Cheese Pizza | Avg Large Pepperoni Pizza | Percentage of Income Spent on Weekly Pizza Night** |
| 1 | Rochester, NY | 100 | 12 | 98 | 25 | 4.11 | $17.04 | $19.41 | 2.59% |
| 2 | Philadelphia, PA | 98.9 | 4 | 76.3 | 13.8 | 4.19 | $17.17 | $20.08 | 2.23% |
| 3 | Boston, MA | 97.7 | 7 | 80.4 | 13.5 | 4.09 | $17.53 | $20.25 | 1.77% |
| 4 | Detroit, MI | 97.4 | 5 | 80.6 | 6.8 | 3.98 | $16.25 | $17.86 | 2.44% |
| 4 | Buffalo, NY | 97.4 | 6 | 100 | 30 | 3.99 | $22.31 | $25.39 | 3.55% |
| 6 | New Haven, CT | 96.7 | 10 | 89.7 | 35.6 | 4.08 | $19.42 | $23.95 | 2.79% |
| 7 | Pittsburgh, PA | 96.6 | 17 | 87.6 | 17.4 | 3.99 | $15.94 | $17.86 | 2.42% |
| 8 | New York, NY | 95.5 | 1 | 68.5 | 12.3 | 4.19 | $26.00 | $29.75 | 3.04% |
| 9 | Albany, NY | 94.8 | 15 | 89.6 | 20.9 | 3.81 | $16.37 | $18.54 | 2.20% |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | 94.7 | 2 | 83.1 | 6 | 3.98 | $22.73 | $26.10 | 2.92% |
| 11 | Syracuse, NY | 94.6 | 13 | 82.7 | 26.8 | 3.87 | $16.60 | $19.00 | 2.53% |
| 12 | Los Angeles, CA | 94.2 | 3 | 58.5 | 5 | 4.3 | $23.44 | $27.53 | 2.88% |
| 13 | Las Vegas, NV | 94.1 | 9 | 68.2 | 19.3 | 4.19 | $24.48 | $26.91 | 3.56% |
| 14 | San Francisco, CA | 94 | 8 | 54.4 | 12.2 | 4.31 | $20.79 | $23.44 | 1.80% |
| 15 | Milwaukee, WI | 93.5 | 14 | 76.3 | 13.4 | 4.08 | $18.46 | $21.73 | 2.71% |
| 16 | Phoenix, AZ | 93.3 | 24 | 64.6 | 4.6 | 4.25 | $16.83 | $19.46 | 2.20% |
| 17 | Washington, DC | 93.1 | 21 | 66.8 | 8.4 | 4.14 | $17.80 | $20.31 | 1.63% |
| 17 | St. Louis, MO | 93.1 | 27 | 79.4 | 7.3 | 4.2 | $18.03 | $20.40 | 2.55% |
| 19 | Denver, CO | 93 | 20 | 67.1 | 10.5 | 4.22 | $19.39 | $21.35 | 2.06% |
| 20 | Seattle, WA | 93 | 10 | 64.4 | 8.1 | 4.12 | $24.25 | $26.70 | 2.39% |
| - | National Average | - | - | 68.3 | 12.4 | 3.93 | $18.02 | $20.42 | 2.51% |
*Clever’s Pizza Passion Score is out of 100 and compiled using Google search data for the metro area’s pizza and pizza-related topics. **Percentage of the metro area’s median household income required to buy one large cheese and one large pepperoni pizza.
Time to make a move? Let us find the right mortgage for youThe bottom line for home buyers
Whether iconic and foldable like New York, hearty and cheesy like Chicago deep dish, or thin and coal-fired like New Haven, Conn., pizza brings people together. It also can impact where they move and if they’ll pay more for a house.
Whatever your style or favorite slice, if you’re ready to become a homeowner, reach out to a local mortgage professional today.
