Ask a Redhead: Which States Have the Most Redheads?

Every week, we put out a call for your redhead questions. This gives you a chance to get advice or input from our team of redheads. From beauty and fashion to lifestyle, redheads are in a unique boat, and we want to help make this community a place where you can turn for all your redhead needs.

This week, we’re answering the question: “What are the most redhead-populated states?” We know this question refers to the most redhead-populated states in the USA, and this will be answered below, but we can’t forget our friends in Scotland and Ireland, too. So, we’re answering this week’s Ask a Redhead by discussing the populations of redheads worldwide. While Ireland and Scotland have higher concentrations of redheads, the U.S. has the highest overall population due to its size.

Breakdown of redheads worldwide

United States

Overall population: 346 million
Redhead population: 2-6% (~6,920,000-20,760,000

Scotland

Overall population: 5.5 million
Redhead population: 6-13% (~330,000 – 715,000)

Ireland

- Overall population: 5.2 million
- Redhead population: 10% (~520,000)

Not only does the U.S. have a population 60 times larger than either of these other two countries, but the U.S. is also over 100 times bigger in land mass than either country. This means that Scotland and Ireland have more redheads per square mile.

So, where are the redheads in the U.S.? This is a little tricky to know, partially because hair color isn’t as closely monitored as other demographics. Did you know many states don’t list hair color on their driver’s licenses or state IDs?

Top states in the USA with redhead populations

There is some data to show that some states may have more redheads, including West Virginia, Washington, Oregon, New York, and Tennessee. There’s also some data to show that Utah may have the highest population. There are several reasons a state may have a lot of redheads, including:

Weather: Redheads thrive in cloudier climates and rarely enjoy high heat. When the U.S. was being colonized, this was not as much of a concern, but it may be a modern reason for where redheads live.
Ancestry: Redheads often come from European roots, so states with larger European populations may have more redheads.
Immigration: Scottish immigrants settled primarily in states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, and parts of the Appalachian and Midwest regions. Irish immigrants settled in some of these places, including states like New Hampshire. Massachusetts, New York, and Illinois.
Familial Lineage: Red hair is a recessive trait passed on by parents, which means that in places where large families settled with many generations being born, there may be a higher percentage of redheads due to that specific lineage.