A new study reveals which states are the best for online privacy awareness, and what tools residents in those states are using to protect their data. This indicates that Washington is the most privacy-conscious state online, with an average of 3,781 monthly searches per 100,000 residents for privacy tools such as ad blockers and VPNs.
New research comes from Local Digital, which has uncovered which U.S. states are the most privacy-minded online, and how you can improve your digital hygiene, too. The study examined Google search data for privacy tools such as VPNs, ad blockers, and private browsers across the U.S. On average, there are 2,346 monthly searches related to privacy tools per 100,000 people across every U.S. state.
Using security.org’s “How Secure Is Your Password” tool, the study reveals how the choice of password massively impacts your online security. The study also compared the privacy tool-related search volumes for each state against population numbers to pinpoint which regions’ internet users are the most serious about online privacy.
Top 10 online security-minded states
| Rank | State | Average monthly searches per 100,000 people |
| 1. | Washington | 3,781 |
| 2. | New York | 3,634 |
| 3. | California | 3,415 |
| 4. | Oregon | 3,294 |
| 5. | Florida | 3,291 |
| 6. | Colorado | 3,129 |
| 7. | Nevada | 3,061 |
| 8. | Massachusetts | 2,922 |
| 9. | Virginia | 2,863 |
| 10. | New Hampshire | 2,715 |
As shown above, Washington took the top spot as the most privacy-focused state, with locals making a massive 3,781 monthly searches for privacy tools per 100,000 people. This is 62% above the national average. NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN are the top three most popular VPNs in the state, with 21,428, 7,010, and 6,679 average monthly searches, respectively.
New York grabbed second place with 3,634 searches per 100,000 residents, 55% above average, while California came in third with 3,415 searches per 100,000 people, 46% above average.
Bottom 10 online security-minded states
| Rank | State | Average monthly searches per 100,000 people |
| 1. | Mississippi | 1,270 |
| 2. | Louisiana | 1,555 |
| 3. | Arkansas | 1,699 |
| 4. | West Virginia | 1,715 |
| 5. | South Dakota | 1,783 |
| 6. | Kentucky | 1,812 |
| 7. | Alabama | 1,844 |
| 8. | Alaska | 1,858 |
| 9. (=) | Iowa | 1,933 |
| 9. (=) | South Carolina | 1,933 |
| 10. | North Dakota | 1,990 |
In contrast, the states struggling to tackle privacy issues are led by Mississippi, which has landed at the very bottom of the privacy-conscious list with a mere 1,270 searches for privacy tools per 100,000 residents. This is 46% below the national average. The state’s figure sits at less than half of Washington’s search rate, indicating Mississippi locals’ browsers are far less protected.
Louisiana took the second-lowest spot with 1,555 searches per 100,000 people, 34% below average, and Arkansas followed closely as third from the bottom with 1,699 searches per 100,000 residents, 28% below average.
