The US City That Eats More Hot Dogs Than All The Rest

If you had to guess, what city do you think would lead the United States in hot dog consumption? Would it be Chicago, home of the famous franks with the neon-green topping? Or would it be New York, where mustard, onions, and sauerkraut are the only acceptable embellishments? Surprisingly enough, it's Los Angeles, at least according to 2023 data compiled by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. New York did come in second, however, while Chicago managed a respectable fourth-place finish (after Dallas, of all places).

How many hot dogs do Los Angelenos eat in a year? Around 30 million pounds, it seems, a fair few of which are Dodger Dogs. (In 2019, Dodger Stadium sold some 2.7 million hot dogs, which checks out since hot dogs always taste better at the ballpark.) While we don't have statistics to back this up, we're betting a few million more may have been Los Angeles street dogs, which are sometimes known by more colorful nicknames like "danger dogs," dirty dogs," and "Tijuana dogs." These come wrapped in bacon and topped with fried onions and peppers and may also include jalapeños and mayonnaise. They're actually quite similar to Arizona's favorite Sonoran dogs minus the pinto beans and pico de gallo. As regional hot dogs go, they may not have quite the cachet of Chicago's and New York's, but that could change if Los Angeles ever does get recognized as the nation's hot dog capital.

The thing about statistics is, they're often open to interpretation (if not outright massaging of the facts). Los Angeles may eat the most hot dogs in the country if you're looking at volume alone, but it has an advantage in that it's also the second-largest city in the United States by population. (New York is number one, while Chicago takes third place.) It may be more telling, then, to look at which city has the highest hot dog consumption per capita. According to those same NHDSC stats, this turns out to be Paducah, Kentucky. It's a fairly small city with approximately 26,500 residents, a mere 0.7% of Los Angeles' 3.77 million.

Kentucky may have the Derby, but it doesn't have a major league ballpark, so that's not driving its dog devouring. Neither does the state really have a hot dog style to call its own. Parts of Northern Kentucky are Cincinnati-adjacent, so their residents might be partial to Cincinnati chili dogs. On the eastern side, the state shares a border with West Virginia, so West Virginia slaw dogs topped with chili, coleslaw, and mustard may be popular in those parts. 

Paducah, however, is all on its own out in the western part of the state. Even if the city doesn't have any signature toppings, it may have its own unique style. According to one Redditor, "Western Kentucky hot dogs are different. Cut in half (lengthwise), grilled, and served on a hamburger bun." Does this enhance the flavor? It certainly can't hurt if Paducah's passion for tube steaks is anything to go by.