Every January brings the promise of a fresh start, but New Year’s resolutions aren’t one-size-fits-all. What people choose to prioritise often reflects more than personal ambition – it can reveal broader lifestyle and cultural trends at a state level.
By analysing Google Search Trends data from December 1 to December 30, 2025, we identified the most searched New Year’s resolution themes across every U.S. state for 2026. This state-by-state breakdown offers a unique snapshot of how Americans approach self-improvement, highlighting both national patterns and distinct regional priorities.
Key Findings
Health and fitness is the top New Year’s resolution nationally, ranking as the most-searched resolution category across the U.S.
Social and relationship-focused resolutions rank lowest overall, appearing least frequently as a top priority compared to other categories.
New York searches for New Year’s resolutions at nearly 80% higher than the national average, making it the most engaged state overall across all resolution categories.
New York leads searches for bad habits, health and fitness, career, and financial resolutions, signalling a strong focus on both personal well-being and professional growth.
California tops travel-related New Year’s resolution searches, reflecting a greater emphasis on experiences and lifestyle planning.
Texas leads searches for hobbies and social or relationship goals, highlighting a stronger focus on personal interests and enhancing social connections.
Top States for New Year’s Resolution Searches
- New York
- Georgia
- Texas
- Florida
- California
Resolutions Ranked By National Search Interest
- Health & Fitness
- Career
- Financial
- Travel
- Hobbies
- Bad Habits
- Social & Relationships
Methodology
To identify each state’s top New Year’s resolution, researchers at BetMGM Casino analysed Google Search Trends data between December 1 and December 30, 2025 — a period when interest in goal-setting and behaviour change typically increases ahead of the new year.
The analysis examined search interest across 70 resolution-related keywords, grouped into seven core categories:
- Health and fitness
- Financial goals
- Career
- Bad habits
- Social and relationships
- Hobbies
- Travel
Within each category, ten high-intent search terms were selected to best reflect the types of goals people actively search for when planning their New Year’s resolutions.
For example, “gym membership,” “couch to 5k,” and “workout plan” were among the keywords analysed under the health and fitness category, while “hobby ideas”, “learn to cook,” and “learn a language” were examples of search terms used within the hobbies category.
For each U.S. state, search interest was compared across categories to determine which resolution theme generated the highest relative interest, allowing us to identify the dominant New Year’s resolution by state.
Bring in the New Year With BetMGM Casino
No matter what your New Year’s resolution is, or if you’ve even decided to give New Year’s resolutions a skip this year, you can count on BetMGM Casino’s great selection of online casino games to bring the fun and excitement at New Year and all year round. There are even themed casino games featuring New Year’s parties, balloons, fireworks, and more.
When you sign up at BetMGM and make a deposit, you unlock an unbelievable world of gambling entertainment. At this top online casino, you can place exhilarating bets on your favorite online slots, live dealer games, table games, and many other new and exciting online gambling experiences. And when you do, you can also enjoy great promotions and unlock thrilling offline and online benefits through the BetMGM Rewards program.
Register and celebrate the upcoming year with your favorite online casino, BetMGM.
