Ahead of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary on February 27th, a new study has revealed the most Pokémon card-obsessed states in America, with the Golden State crowned number one.
According to a February 2026 Circana report, Pokémon became the top U.S. toy property in 2025, generating $2.5 billion in annual sales, including cards. Meanwhile, YouTube star and wrestler Logan Paul recently sold a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for a record $16.5m.
The research from DuelBits analyzed each state’s monthly Google search volume per capita for the top 11 most popular Pokémon cards, to give each state a total score out of 10.
The results revealed that California is the most Pokémon card-obsessed state in the country, achieving an overall index score of 10 out of 10.
The Golden State generates a whopping 149,400 Pokémon card-related searches every month, which is the highest combined total nationwide.
Even when adjusted for population size, California still leads. The state records 37.9 Pokémon card searches per 10,000 people each month, just ahead of second-place Washington.
Breaking it down further, Californians search for ‘Pokémon cards’ 135,000 times per month on average, which is the highest figure in the country.
California’s most sought after Pokémon cards were found to be Charizard, with 4,400 searches made on average per month. Followed by Pikachu (2,400) in second and Mewtwo (1,300) in third.
Washington ranks second overall with 37.3 Pokémon card-related searches per 10,000 people each month, narrowly behind California. Hawaii follows with 34.6 searches per 10,000 residents, while Nevada records 33.9 and Arizona 32.1, rounding out the top five most Pokémon card-obsessed states.
The top 10 most Pokémon card-obsessed states:
| Rank | State | Total monthly Pokémon card searches | Monthly Pokémon cardsearches per 10,000 | Total Score /10 |
| 1 | California | 149,400 | 37.9 | 10.0 |
| 2 | Washington | 29,710 | 37.3 | 9.8 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 5,010 | 34.6 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Nevada | 11,090 | 33.9 | 8.8 |
| 5 | Arizona | 24,320 | 32.1 | 8.2 |
| 6 | Texas | 99,860 | 31.9 | 8.1 |
| 7 | Oregon | 13,470 | 31.5 | 8.0 |
| 8 | Utah | 10,910 | 31.1 | 7.9 |
| 9 | Illinois | 36,440 | 28.7 | 7.1 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 19,960 | 28.0 | 6.9 |
