Red States, Risqué Secrets: Who’s Really Obsessing Over Sex?
Why America’s most sexually curious states may also be the most confused
Illinois, “The Corn State,” now has another claim to fame as its Silent S could stand for sex! According to a study conducted by Lion’s Den —an inclusive, Ohio-based purveyor of sex products and consumer education established in 1971—the state ranks number one in sexual obsessions, “with over 15,300 searches per capita about dating, sex tips, and adult toys.”
Nevada (known for “Slots and Sluts”), Wyoming (“Square but Fun”), North Carolina (“We Like Being on Top”), and North Dakota (“The Rough Rider State”) also rank in the top five sex-obsessed states—and with slogans like these, I guess we can see why.
However residents of Vermont (“We Make Pancakes Tolerable”), ranked seventh in the top ten, reported the most active sex life, with “1.7 sexual encounters weekly.” Square but fun Wyoming was a sexy second at 1.3. Who would have thought?
Inquiring minds need to know
According to OnFocus, Lion’s Den research:
…takes into account online search behavior, sex frequency, number of sex therapists in the state, and single-person household percentage. The final ranking is based on the sex-related Google searches per 100K residents, focusing on the states that demonstrate the highest interest in sex-related content, products, and services.
Lion’s Den investigated internet searches for the best dating apps, Tinder alternatives, and casual dating sites, as well as sex toys and tips, such as sex positions and “how to last longer.” The study also incorporated data on the number of sex therapists and sexual health clinics per state as well as the percentage of single person households.
RECOMMENDED READ: We-Vibe Sextech Report: Talk, Grab a Toy, and Enjoy
The study also compared total searches with each state’s population, analyzing these figures with Google’s “Searches per 100K People” as a population adjustment measure.
As for how often were people doing it—on average per week—it’s not clear if solo sex was included. Most likely the researchers and respondents only counted partner sex.
Ignorance, need, or both?
Pete Potenzini, Lion’s Den’s Marketing Director, explained the significance of the study to OnFocus:
The growing digital exploration of sexuality across America reveals important gaps in accessible safety information, with the most sexually curious regions often having the least comprehensive sex education resources. While Americans increasingly seek sexual wellness information online, converting this curiosity into consistent safety practices remains a critical public health challenge that requires culturally sensitive approaches tailored to regional attitudes.
Therefore we can consider the Illinois, Wyoming, North Carolina, and North Dakota internet searches as the result of a dearth of sex information due to entrenched sexual conservatism and negativity. Second place Nevada could be considered an exception, as its permissive sex work laws might indicate public policy support for sexual health and education resources.
The impacts of different state policies and laws, religious communities, and social culture and standards, might affect the quality of youth and adult sex education, access to clinics, and even the willingness of sex therapists to locate their practices in particular areas.
Sexually conservative sex education impacts adult behaviors
Young adults provided with little or inaccurate sex education may eventually result in them having to scour the internet for all everything they want to know but are afraid to ask. So what is the status of sex ed in our top five states, plus one?
The following figures on sex education come from The World Population Review’s list of Abstinence-Only Education States 2025. And because adult entertainment is often used as a form of sex ed, we also include Pornhub page view statistics per capita from Westword.
Illinois: has the smallest number of sexual health clinics, but the highest number of sex therapists per 100K people. In fact, the state logged 1.4 Million searches for “sex therapists near me” and had the largest number of sex therapists per 100K. Illinois also had the most searches for sex tips. Even so, sex frequency was only a .748 average per week.
Illinois’s sex education programs stress abstinence only and sex between married
couples only (SBMCO). Contraception is covered and sexual orientation topics are inclusive. Pornhub gives 161 page views per capita.
Nevada: Is the top five state with the most single people and residents report sex about one time a week. When it comes to the amount of searches for “lasting longer in bed,” Nevada is about in the middle.
Nevada’s sex ed programs don’t even mention abstinence only. 166 Pornhub page views per capita.
Wyoming: had the highest number of sexual health clinics and close to 1.4 sex encounters per week, per 100K.
Wyoming also does not mention abstinence only in its sex ed programs. 89 Pornhub page views per capita.
North Carolina: had 53,100 searches for how to last longer and 53,100 searches for best sex positions (even if it does like being on top).
Sex education programs stress abstinence only and SBMCO. Contraception is covered. Sexual orientation is not covered. 116 Pornhub page views per capita.
North Dakota: was much less interested in sexual content over all. There are only two sex therapists per 100K.
Sex education programs cover abstinence only and stress SBMCO. Contraception is not covered. Sexual orientation is not covered. 123 Pornhub page views per capita.
Vermont: As mentioned earlier, Vermont’s residents have sex more often than the other nine states in the study’s top ten.
Vermont offers abstinence only as a choice. 106 Pornhub page views per capita. Incidentally, Vermont was the first state to enshrine abortion rights in its state constitution.
When red can’t handle the rainbow—but craves it
Far more could be learned about regional sexual behaviors, including internet queries, from research like the Lion’s Den study.
Put this information together with political stats and quite a picture emerges. One of the starkest examples of sexual hypocrisy—personal interest masked by public conservatism—is the red state fascination with adult entertainment featuring transgender performers.
For example, in June 2022, Lawsuit.org examined nineteen days of Google searches for anything related to adult sites or products with (mostly) transgender women. Out of twenty states—mostly “red”—North Carolina ranked seventh and Illinois ranked eighth in these searches. Data from metro areas were also logged.
The results suggest a correlation between secretive fantasy interest among social conservatives and their well-known, public oppression of transgender people.
According to the 2025 Anti-Trans Bills Tracker, all five of the Lion’s Den top “sex obsessed” states—Illinois, Nevada, Wyoming, North Carolina, North Dakota—have anti-transgender legislation pending and/or passed, though some were subsequently vetoed). In contrast, Vermont does not have any anti-trans bills pending or passed.
More than personal
Every scrap of research shining light on real sexual behaviors and private attitudes is worthwhile. Whether the data comes from academic journals, bold retailers like Lion’s Den and WeVibe, or advocates like Lawsuit.org, we should continue to respect the results as a way to potentially foster education, advocacy, and ongoing cultural change.
Sexual and gender ignorance too often results in private anguish and public cruelty. When people are denied honest knowledge about their bodies and desires they often seek it out furtively—but shame doesn’t stay quiet for long. It lashes out, vilifies, and punishes those who dare to live, love, and exist outside rigid norms.
This is why gathering, protecting, and spreading sex- and gender-positive knowledge is an act of both joy and rebellion. We must stay bold, curious, and stubbornly radiant. Our pleasures, our truths, and our bright but messy humanity are too powerful to be erased.
Image sources: A.R. Marsh using Ideogram.ai
