Pops’ Proverbs: The Most Common Dad Joke in Each U.S. State
By
Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 06 June 2023
Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief
Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.
Whether we admit it or not, we all secretly love dad jokes, right? RIGHT? But some push us to our limits, and some push us…even father (sorry, we had to).
With Father’s Day quickly approaching, we conducted a survey to find out where dad-isms are most prevalent in the U.S., why fathers use, reuse, and re-reuse popular dad jokes, and how their partners and kids really feel about them.
Key takeaways:
- Dad jokes are most common in Pennsylvania
- “Hi Hungry, I’m Dad” is the most prevalent dad-ism in the U.S.
- 51% of moms secretly enjoy dad jokes
- 1 in 3 dads use dad-isms because it makes their kids laugh
- Napping at inopportune times is the #1 most true dad cliché
America’s Most Dad-Joke-Obsessed States
“I’m not sleeping; I’m just resting my eyes.”
If you find yourself turning to this cliché often, you’ll probably be most at home in Pennsylvania. On a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of dad joke usage, PA takes the cake with a 4.9.
Six other states rank at 4.5 or higher:
- Illinois — 4.7
- North Carolina — 4.7
- Missouri — 4.7
- Tennessee — 4.7
- Colorado — 4.6
- Nebraska — 4.5
Mississippians are the least accepting of dad jokes, with a rating of just 2.2 out of 5. Now, given how funny dad jokes are, we have to assume they just don’t get them to score so low.
Four other states rank at 2.5 or below:
- Oregon — 2.2
- New Hampshire — 2.3
- Vermont — 2.5
- West Virginia — 2.5
The Most Popular Dad-isms in the U.S.
So what’s the most popular dad saying in America? It’s a real classic, and it’s the most popular in 9 states, total, more than any other dad-ism.
Kid: “I’m hungry.”
Dad: “Hi Hungry, I’m Dad.”
“I’m not sleeping, I’m just resting my eyes” is the next most common dad saying, being the most prevalent in 8 states total. “Back in my day” is the third-most common dad-ism, and it’s used more often than any other in 7 states. No doubt this expression was in prevalent use in the advent of mobile sports betting when things became a little bit too easy in the eyes of dads.
So…why do fathers turn to these sayings over and over again? What’s the draw?
Well, more than 1 in 3 dads — 35% — say that they take part in dad-isms because it makes their kids laugh. We haven’t seen any kid laugh at a dad joke ever, but…it’s almost Father’s Day; let’s let them have it.
Far fewer — 15% — keep turning to these sayings because it annoys their kids. In other news, dads across America are out of touch and don’t know the difference between a chuckle and an eye roll.
Just under a quarter — 23% — say that they have to on account of it being a part of their fatherly duty, and just 7% say (read: admit) that using dad jokes is just a habit that’s hard to kick.
The Most Annoying Dad Jokes (According to Moms)
So how do moms feel about dad jokes? Well, it’s a split decision: 51% of mothers secretly enjoy when their husbands annoy their kids with dad jokes.
“I’m not sleeping, I’m just resting my eyes” is the single dad-ism that moms find most annoying. Interesting that this is the second most common dad saying. Seems like fathers use those fatherly tendencies to annoy their families more often than they admit.
It’s not surprising that the second most annoying dad-ism, according to mothers, is “Go ask your mother.” That’s just a cop-out!
We also wanted to know about dad stereotypes that are actually true most often. More than half of our survey participants stated that taking naps at inopportune times is the most widely true dad stereotype out there.
An unwillingness to read instructions came up as the second most true stereotype for fathers, followed by repeating stories over and over and hogging the remote control. All of these habits are shared among more than 33% of all American dads.
We’ve got two honorable mentions for real dad tendencies:
- His sneaker collection consists of two pairs of the same sneakers: one for mowing the lawn and one for going out
- Before using the tongs when grilling, he clicks them together two or more times to “test them out”
These are true classics, and we’d be surprised if most of you reading haven’t found that these stereotypes are overwhelmingly true.
What’s the Plan, Stan? Dad Jokes Outnumber Those Who Enjoy Them
Whether you admit it or not, we know you secretly love dad jokes. They’re the epitome of comedy, really; so familiar and comfortable that they make you uncomfortable.
If you’re a father and you find that starting a sentence with “back in my day” gets too many eye rolls, try moving to Pennsylvania, which is the most accepting of dad humor. Now the acceptance of dad jokes may not be enough to convince a dad to make the move interstate, though he may be tempted knowing there is fully legal online sports betting in PA. But a warning for those who do intend to move to PA, you should try staying away from “Hi Hungry, I’m Dad,” which is the most overused dad-ism.
Despite the bad reputation dad jokes get, more than half of all mothers secretly enjoy how annoyed kids get at them, and more than a third of all kids find them funny (source: dads, so take that with a grain of salt).
Methodology
We surveyed 1,500 fathers across the U.S. in May 2023 about how often they use dad jokes, which are their favorites, and the reactions they get. We also asked 1,000 moms what they think of the dad-isms they hear from their spouses. The average age of our dad participants was 47, and the average age of our mom participants was 45.
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