The Most Popular Beard Styles in Every State

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — not the winter holidays, but No Shave November! With beard season fast approaching and mustaches back in style again, there has never been a better time to celebrate all things men’s facial hair and the fun ways to style it. To do so, we conducted a study using Google search data to determine the most popular beard styles and mustache styles each state prefers in the United States. We also researched special facial hair styles to decipher which each state prefers. Read on to discover what we found.

Key findings

• The most popular beard styles are goatees, full beards, mutton chops, and chin straps.
• The states most obsessed with beards are California, Indiana, and Utah.
• The most popular mustache styles are English, pencil, and lampshade mustaches.
• The states most obsessed with mustaches are New Hampshire, Delaware, and West Virginia.

The most popular beard style by state

From Idris Elba to Oscar Issac to Hugh Jackman, many celebrities are known for their iconic beards. The celebrity beard of the moment is often a perfect display of how facial hair styles go in and out of fashion.

But which beard styles are heating up right now? As we enter into the cooler months, we mapped the beard styles and shapes that are popping up across the nation. 

The most popular beard styles in the U.S. include goatees, mutton chops, and the full beard. The goatee, often sported by Brad Pitt, is a facial hair style that includes chin hair and a mustache but cleanly-shaven cheeks. This style is particularly well-loved in the southeastern part of the United States, winning in states like Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. 

The full beard is the most natural embracing of facial hair, often with minimal grooming. This style enjoys popularity in states such as Colorado, Oregon, and Michigan. The mutton chops style, on the other hand, is essentially a full beard, minus the mustache and front chin hair. Think of Hugh Jackman’s iconic role in The Wolverine. 

Where beards are most popular 

While individual style preferences may vary locally, some areas just simply love beards more than other states. We wanted to know in which states can Americans expect to see the most beards this winter and beyond. To find out, we calculated which states are searching for beard style inspiration the most. The results might surprise you. 

While you might expect to see an increase in popularity when it comes to facial hair in colder climates, our data actually suggests the opposite. Across the board, beards are most popular in California. Tied for second place are Indiana and Utah. 

Other popular states for beards include Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland, and Colorado. Some of the least popular states for beards are some of the colder ones, including Alaska, North Dakota, and Vermont. Since the search data was controlled for population, beards may serve more style than function these days. 

The most popular mustache style by state

Those that grew up in the 1970s might have never expected for mustaches to regain the popularity they once had. Yet, like so many trends, here they are back in full swing in 2022. 

We repeated our local analysis using a list of popular mustache styles to determine the most popular way to wear a mustache across the United States. Which is your state’s favorite?

Overall, the most popular mustache styles in the United States are English, pencil, and lampshade mustaches. The English mustache is similar to the handlebar mustache, in that it is a thinner, shorter mustache style, with the defining feature being straight, waxed ends. This is the most popular mustache style in a whopping 28 states, including New York, Minnesota, Arizona, and Washington.

The pencil mustache, popular in southern states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, is a distinctive, thin mustache style. The lampshade mustache is a close-cropped, dense mustache that often does not extend past the length of the lips, and it is popular in states such as New Mexico, Kansas, and Hawaii.

Where mustaches are most popular 

As the mustache trend continues into another year, we wanted to determine where we can expect to see the most mustaches across the United States. Where is the trend booming, and where are folks ready to never see a mustache again?

We totaled local search interest for each mustache style to determine where mustaches are most popular across the country. 

I mustache you a question: Did you expect these results? The top-five states for mustaches include New Hampshire, Delaware, and West Virginia, as well as Idaho and Texas. Mustaches are not particularly favored in states like Arkansas, Wyoming, Ohio, Iowa, and Montana. 

Similar to beard popularity, mustache popularity does not seem to be concentrated in particular regions, but rather, our data showed an individual preference by state. However, we’re not surprised to see Texas in the top five! 

Regardless of how you feel about facial hair, you or someone in your life has to deal with it on a near-daily basis. No matter the facial hair style you choose, working with a professional barber or hair stylist can help you keep yourself looking groomed and professional. 

Methodology: Using a list of over 35 facial hair styles, we conducted a Google search analysis to determine the most popular beard and mustache styles in every state.