Top ten US states where people want to be ‘an influencers’ the most

With influencer marketing set to become an even more integral part of companies’ business strategies, new data has named the states where people are most interested in becoming online social influencers.

The research, pulled together by online casino comparison website Kajino, analyzed nationwide Google search searches for keywords related to becoming an influencer over the last 12 months, to identify which states are chasing a content creator career path the most.

Unsurprisingly, many are considering the career path, given that the industry doesn’t seem to be slowing down in growth anytime soon, and is expected to be worth a whopping $22.2bn by the end of 2024.

According to a recent report by the Influencer Marketing Hub, nearly 60% of respondents plan on upping the money dedicated to influencer marketing over the next 12 months.

The report found that nearly a quarter (24.2%) of respondents intend to spend more than 40% of their marketing budget on influencer marketing in 2024. This is a significant increase from 2023’s 23% and 2022’s 5% spend, so it’s little wonder it remains an attractive career prospect.

It turns out those in Florida have this down as an ambition more than anywhere else in the US. The state averaged 79.8 monthly searches per 100,000 residents, which is 49% higher than the US average of 53.5 searches per 100,000 people.

Georgia is the state with the second highest interest in living the influencer lifestyle, with 78.2 searches per 100,000 residents – 46% higher than the national average. In third is New York, which is 42% higher than the national average, at 75.9 searches per 100,000 people.

The ten states most interested in becoming an influencer

On the other end of the scale, being in the spotlight online holds less appeal to New Mexico residents, with only 33.8 searches per 100,000 people, which is 37% below the US average.

Behind New Mexico, as the second-least interested, is West Virginia, with people in the state looking for information on the potential career 32% less than the average American, with 36.6 searches per 100,000 residents.

Closely following in third from the bottom is Montana with 36.9 monthly searches per 100,000 – 31% below the national average.

While it’s unclear the exact reason for the difference between the states, it could reflect how heavily social media is integrated into the lives of those living in each area, and therefore how much it’s considered a valid career prospect by residents.

The ten states least interested in becoming an influencer

Commenting on the findings, Hekima Yoshida from Kajino says: “Since its invention, social media’s presence in society has continued to grow – and it doesn’t look like that is going to change in the near future.

“In fact, each year brings more opportunities for growth thanks to the creation of new social media platforms, and more brands willing to collaborate with influencers.

“If done successfully, not only does an influencer lifestyle come with a generous salary, but it also has flexible hours that can often be carried out from anywhere in the world. It’s no wonder it’s an attractive prospect for many young people – especially the opportunity to create content about their interests.

“However, being so heavily in the public eye can have downsides. Many influencers talk of the struggles of having details of their personal lives scrutinized, which is perhaps a con that outweighs the pros for certain states, such as New Mexico and West Virginia.”