Every night, sports fans across the U.S. check scores, standings and highlights — often well past midnight. But in some states, that late-night habit is far more intense than others.
To find out where fans are most likely to sacrifice sleep, we analyzed sports search activity across all 50 states and created a Sleep-Loss Score (0–100) ranking states where overnight sports engagement is strongest.
The rankings are based on two core factors:
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents — overall sports-search intensity, adjusted for population.
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am) — the percentage of a state’s total sports searches that occur during the overnight window.
Together, these metrics reveal where sports interest is both widespread and concentrated late at night.
Key Findings
- Nevada ranks No. 1 with a Sleep-Loss Score of 88.9, driven by the highest per-capita sports-search intensity in the country (61,069 per 100,000 residents per month) and strong overnight concentration (20.41%).
- Delaware (No. 2) and Hawaii (No. 3) follow closely, combining high overall search intensity with elevated overnight activity.
- Across all states, fans conduct about 6,985 overnight sports searches per month for every 100,000 residents on average, highlighting how widespread late-night sports engagement has become nationwide.
- Mississippi ranks last (No. 50), posting the lowest overnight share (14.85%) and one of the lowest combined scores.
- The biggest divide between the top and bottom 10 states is overall search intensity: the top 10 average about 45,000 monthly sports searches per 100,000 residents versus roughly 25,000 in the bottom 10 — nearly double.
Top 10 States for Late-Night Sports Search Activity
1. Nevada
- Sleep-Loss Score: 88.9
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 61,069
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.41%
Nevada ranks first overall, generating roughly 12,464 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents each month (20.41% of total sports searches) — the highest rate in the country. Fans show exceptionally strong late-night engagement, frequently checking scores, highlights, and updates long after traditional viewing hours end.
2. Delaware
- Sleep-Loss Score: 83.9
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 54,556
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.82%
Delaware ranks second, producing around 11,359 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents monthly (20.82% of total sports searches). Despite its smaller population, fans show notably high late-night engagement, pointing to a concentrated and highly active sports-following audience that regularly checks results after games conclude.
3. Hawaii
- Sleep-Loss Score: 78.9
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 43,544
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 22.00%
Hawaii ranks third, generating roughly 9,580 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents each month (22.00% of total sports searches). Unique time-zone dynamics likely encourage fans to follow mainland games outside traditional hours, contributing to consistently elevated late-night activity.
4. Rhode Island
- Sleep-Loss Score: 71.7
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 44,083
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.88%
Rhode Island ranks fourth, producing approximately 9,205 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents monthly (20.88% of total sports searches). Fans demonstrate steady late-night engagement, suggesting a strong habit of checking scores and updates well beyond live broadcasts.
5. Colorado
- Sleep-Loss Score: 68.6
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 44,289
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.40%
Colorado ranks fifth, generating roughly 9,035 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents each month (20.40% of total sports searches). High overall sports interest combined with sustained overnight engagement indicates fans frequently return for updates after primary game windows.
6. Maine
- Sleep-Loss Score: 67.9
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 41,643
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.75%
Maine ranks sixth, producing approximately 8,641 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents monthly (20.75% of total sports searches). The data suggests a loyal fan base that continues checking results well into late-night hours.
7. Vermont
- Sleep-Loss Score: 64.1
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 40,959
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.32%
Vermont ranks seventh, generating roughly 8,323 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents each month (20.32% of total sports searches). Despite its smaller population, fans display consistent overnight engagement and strong follow-through on game updates.
8. Maryland
- Sleep-Loss Score: 63.8
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 40,476
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.37%
Maryland ranks eighth, producing approximately 8,245 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents monthly (20.37% of total sports searches). Proximity to multiple major sports markets may help drive sustained late-night interest among fans.
9. Arizona
- Sleep-Loss Score: 63.7
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 42,545
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 19.99%
Arizona ranks ninth, generating roughly 8,505 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents each month (19.99% of total sports searches). Fans show strong engagement beyond live broadcasts, regularly checking scores and highlights into late hours.
10. Wisconsin
- Sleep-Loss Score: 63.5
- Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents: 38,671
- Overnight Search Share (12am–5am): 20.64%
Wisconsin rounds out the top ten, producing approximately 7,982 overnight sports searches per 100,000 residents monthly (20.64% of total sports searches). Consistent late-night activity suggests fans remain closely connected to ongoing games and updates even after traditional viewing windows.
Where Fans Call It a Night
At the bottom of the rankings, overnight sports engagement is significantly less concentrated.
Mississippi ranks last, with both the lowest overnight search share (14.85%) and comparatively lower late-night activity overall.
States such as Alabama, Louisiana and Oklahoma also rank in the bottom tier, suggesting fans in these areas are less likely to stay up late checking sports updates.
The Bottom Line
Late-night sports engagement varies widely across the country — and the states losing the most sleep aren’t always the biggest ones. When adjusted for population, the rankings show that sleep loss is driven by a combination of intense sports interest and consistent overnight checking behaviour.
In many top-ranked states, roughly one in five sports searches happens between midnight and 5 a.m., highlighting how real-time engagement extends well beyond traditional viewing hours. Whether fans are tracking late games, refreshing standings or catching highlights after midnight, the data suggests that for some regions, sports fandom doesn’t end when the day does.
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Methodology
1. Data Collection
We analyzed approximately 50 high-intent sports search queries focused on real-time engagement, including searches related to scores, schedules, standings, results, highlights, and games across major U.S. sports.
The keyword set was designed to capture active score-checking behaviour rather than general sports news browsing.
Sports included:
- NBA (basketball)
- NFL (football)
- NHL (hockey)
- MLB (baseball)
- MLS and international soccer
- College basketball (NCAA)
- College football (NCAA)
- Formula 1
- NASCAR
2. Monthly Search Volume
Average monthly search volume for each keyword was obtained directly from Google Keyword Planner at the state level.
Total state-level monthly sports searches were aggregated across the full keyword set.
To account for population differences, results were adjusted using U.S. Census population estimates to produce:
Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents
3. Measuring Overnight Search Share
Google Trends hourly search data was used to determine when sports searches occur.
The overnight window was defined as:
12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. (local time)
For each state, we calculated:
Overnight Search Share (12am–5am)
= Percentage of total sports searches occurring during the overnight window.
4. Sleep-Loss Score (0–100)
A composite Sleep-Loss Score was created by:
- Standardizing Monthly Sports Searches per 100,000 Residents to a 0–100 scale.
- Standardizing Overnight Search Share (12am–5am) to a 0–100 scale.
- Weighting both components equally (50/50).
Scores range from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates the lowest level of late-night sports search activity (lowest estimated sleep impact) and 100 indicates the highest level of overnight sports searching (highest estimated sleep disruption)
