Pizza list ranks Ohio the No. 1 state, Columbus the No. 3 city

Is Ohio really the best state for pizza? 

According to a new ranking from loan calculator Anytime Estimate, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati all rank in the top 20 pizza cities in the U.S.

The list, which scored the 50 largest metros in the country, was based on the following criteria:

• Google Trends interest in 20 pizza variations.
• Pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents.
• Pizza restaurants per square mile.
• Google Trends interest in general pizza terms.
• Independent pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents.
• Average price and affordability of cheese pizza.
• Average price and affordability of pepperoni pizza. 
• Big chain pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents. 

Based on those factors, Anytime Estimate ranked Detroit first overall, with the most independent pizza restaurants per capita and number one in “pizza passion,” or local Google searches for an extra-large variety of pizza sizes.

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Ohio was ranked the best overall state for pizza, with Cleveland coming in second, Columbus ranking third and Cincinnati ranking 19th overall. 

According to the list, Columbus’ average cheese pizza price was $8.14, the annual cost of weekly pizza was $423.28, and the percentage of annual income spent on pizza was 0.75%. 

The city also has 13.1 pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents, 2.8 independent pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents, a “pizza passion” score of 97.1 and the average number of miles to the nearest pizza 2.12. 

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Surprisingly, noted pizza cities New York City and Chicago did not crack the top 10 list, ranking 22nd and 14th, respectively. 

Chandler Boese of The Columbus Dispatch contributed to this story.