These States Don’t Realize Valentine’s Day Is on February 14, Study Finds
A new analysis of Google searches reveals where people are most likely to panic-google the date of Valentine’s Day.
If you’ve ever stared at your calendar in early February and thought, “Wait… when is Valentine’s Day again?” you’re clearly not alone.
A new state-by-state analysis of Google search data shows where people are most likely to forget when Valentine’s Day actually is, and which states barely seem to panic about it at all.
The research, conducted by SupremeWhip, looked at how often people in each state searched terms like “Valentine’s date,” “when is it valentines day,” “when is valentines,” and “when is valentines day.” Those searches were then normalized per 100,000 residents to see where people are most likely to need a digital reminder before February 14.
Why are we still googling a fixed date?
Valentine’s Day is not exactly a mystery holiday: it falls on February 14 every year. So why are so many people still typing it into a search bar?
The obvious answer is that life is busy. Work, kids, commuting, appointments, and everything else means a lot of us are outsourcing basic memory tasks to our phones. If it’s not flagged as a federal holiday and auto-loaded into your calendar with a day off attached, it’s easier than you’d think for a fixed date to slip your mind.
There’s also some social pressure baked into Valentine’s Day. Unlike Christmas or Thanksgiving, where planning is generally done well in advance, a lot of Valentine’s prep (flowers, dinner reservations, last-minute gifts) happens closer to the actual date. That timing window lines up nicely with a spike in “wait, when is Valentine’s Day again?” searches.
The states most likely to forget Valentine’s Day
According to the study, one state is in a league of its own when it comes to googling the date of Valentine’s Day: Alabama.
Here’s how the top of the list breaks down, using searches per 100,000 residents:
- Alabama – 3,005 searches per 100,000 people
- South Dakota – 1,628 searches per 100,000
- New York – 758 searches per 100,000
- New Mexico – 706 searches per 100,000
- Florida – 644 searches per 100,000 SupremeWhip – States Most Likel…
From there, the numbers gradually taper off. States like Mississippi (511 searches per 100,000), Kansas (507), Arkansas (487), Texas (481), and Iowa (464) round out the top 10.
It’s an interesting mix: you’ve got Southern states, Plains states, and some of the most populated states in the country all showing up as places where residents are relatively likely to pull out their phones and double-check when Valentine’s Day actually lands.
High search volume doesn’t necessarily mean people don’t care about the holiday; if anything, it suggests the opposite. Folks clearly want to get the date right… They’re just confirming it late enough that it shows up in the data.
The states least likely to panic-Google Valentine’s Day
On the other end of the spectrum, a handful of states barely register any Valentine’s Day date searches at all.
At the very bottom of the ranking is Georgia, with just 14 searches per 100,000 people for phrases like “when is valentines day.” Right above Georgia are Nebraska and Idaho, each with 77 searches per 100,000, followed by West Virginia with 88.
Other states with relatively low search rates include Maine, Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Ohio, all under 140 searches per 100,000 residents.
What that means is up for interpretation. It could be that people in those states are more on top of their calendars and don’t feel the need to confirm the date online. Or, it might signal that Valentine’s Day just isn’t as much of a priority, so there’s less frantic searching in the first place.
If this study just reminded you that you’re absolutely the type to forget Valentine’s Day, you still have options. You can turn it into an excuse for a quick getaway and check out a round-up of some of the best places in the U.S. to spend the holiday with your partner.
And if you’d rather stay home and keep it low-key, you can always lean into a cozy night in with a list of actually-good romance movies to stream this weekend, even for people who don’t usually like the genre.
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