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They say the bed should be kept for two things only… shut-eye, and getting hot and steamy under the covers.
With that in mind, we wanted to see which states in the US are the most sex-savvy (and which think a good time in bed refers to reading a really good book!) by analyzing search volumes for sex and sex-related terms.
New Yorkers are officially the sex savviest
With a sex education index score of 32.2 (our score based on searches per state), New York tops the list, with 197.49 per 10,000 residents searching for sex-related terms on Google. Each month, 385,040 searches are made, with some of the most popular terms including “sex positions” at 60,500, “BDSM” at 40,500, and “anal” and “kissing” both at 27,100.
California comes a close second, with a sex education index score of 28.5; and a rate of 193.5 out of 10,000 residents searching for tips every month. With a staggering 753,000 searches across the state, California regularly comes out on top for specific search terms, including “nipple play” (3,600), “role-playing” (2,400), “strap-ons” (5,400), and more.
Maryland, Massachusetts, and Georgia make up the top five; and whilst “sexual positions”, “BDSM” and “anal” all feature in the top three searches for these states; “pregnancy” is fourth for Georgia.
Washington, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Colorado make up the top 10, with a sex education index score of 23.7 or higher. However, if we look to see which state has the highest number of residents that Google “sex”, then New York, California and Texas make up the top three; and if we look at total searches, then this switches around to California, Texas, and New York.
“Sexual positions” is the term Americans search for the most
With 1,017,700 searches across all 50 states, it’s clear that many Americans are looking to spice things up in the bedroom by searching for “sexual positions”; straying away from the fail-safe missionary and doggy-style, in favour of something that requires a bit more flexibility and stamina.
However, there’s something to be said for the classic missionary, with it enjoying 181,670 monthly searches across the US – not far behind the way-more-uncomfortable-than-it-looks-and-completely-unsexy 69, at 208,710 searches.
“BDSM” comes in second place for number of searches, at an impressive 588,260; with Americans clearly still fantasising about a ’50 Shades of Grey’-style sex life.
However, alongside positions and kinks, searches for “erectile dysfunction” regularly appear in the top 10 searches across states, with “libido”, “arousal” and “foreplay” also seeing searches, with people equally concerned about how they can get in the mood initially, as well as holding out for the main event.
West Virginians are searching for sex the least
Whether you read into it as they know exactly what they want in bed and don’t need any tips, or they’re just not that interested in embracing their kinks; West Virginia sits at the bottom of our leaderboard, with a sex education index score of just 7.
With 119.96 out of 10,000 of their residents searching for sex-related terms every month, the only state to have fewer people searching is Montana, at 115.66 (their sex education index is 7.1, if you were wondering, placing them second from bottom).
South Dakota and Idaho fall bottom three and four, suggesting that maybe it really is grim up north; with Kentucky sliding into fifth place, at 58,950 searches for sex a month.
However, based on numbers alone, Wyoming searches for sex the least, at just 7,250 searches a month, followed by Vermont (7,750) and Alaska (9,500).
Whether you’re more likely to search for new sex positions to add some extra excitement in the bedroom, you’re curious about giving butt plugs a go, or you want to educate yourself more around safe sex, another important thing to consider is your bed!
Luckily, we’re here with all the help you could need, and you can start off by discovering our pick of the best mattresses for sex, all offering the perfect combination of firmness and comfort.
And, if you’re searching for a new mattress, you’ve come to the right place! From pocket sprung to memory foam mattresses that perfectly cushion you, through to soft and extra firm mattresses, that’ll provide you with all the support you need, browse our range today.
Alternatively, if you’re still struggling to decide which is the perfect choice for you, head on over to our mattress buying guide.
Methodology
We first collected search data across 50 terms based around sex. For the most sex-savvy states, we added up each topic and divided this by population to reveal the number of people searching for those terms.
We then normalised the data and created an index which took population into consideration (sex education index), to find out which states are looking to be the most clued up on sex.
