Photo by Katrina Berban on Unsplash.
Save
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, but the Golden State is already head-over-heels in love. California is officially the most lovestruck state in the country.
According to a new study by Muse, Californians searched for romantic songs, swoony movies, binge-worthy love shows, and page-turning romance novels more than residents of any other state in the country over the past year.
“These aren’t just search trends, they’re emotional patterns,” a Muse spokesperson said. “People are turning to love stories to reflect, escape, and feel something real.”
With a romantic media score of 92.4 and an estimated 9,430 romance-related searches per 100,000 residents each month, California officially enters 2026 as the most lovestruck state in America.
💖 How California Won the Title
Muse analyzed Google search data from January through December 2025, tracking how often people in each state looked up romantic content across four categories:
Love songs Romantic movies Romantic TV series Romance books
California dominated in each category, especially when it came to romantic movies, ranking as the #1 state in the country for searching heartfelt films and iconic love stories.
Photo by Edgar Chaparro on Unsplash 🎬 What Media Californians Are Loving the Most
If the data is any clue, Golden State residents spent the year deep in their feelings. California ranked among the top states for:
Romantic Movies: #1 in the nation Romance Books: Top 3 overall TV Series & Love Songs: Consistently high across both categories
From classic tearjerkers like Titanic to modern binge-favorites like Bridgerton and viral love songs on repeat, Californians are clearly consuming romance in every media format.
🌴 How California Compares to the Rest of the Country
While Massachusetts and New York followed closely behind, no state matched California’s overall level of romantic engagement. The West Coast also showed strong emotional energy, with Washington, Oregon, and Nevada landing in the national top 10, but California still led the charge.
Here are the top 5 most lovestruck states in the whole country:
California with a score of 92.40 Massachusetts with a score of 90.21 New York with a score of 89.83 Utah with a score of 86.81 Hawaii with a score of 84.81
You can read the full study here.