Madeline Gearheart | October 29, 2018

Guess the Most-Searched Netflix Documentary in Your State

Fictional films dominate the marquees at movie theaters, but nonfiction films and series are on the rise—thanks mostly to streaming services.

You probably have some anecdotal evidence of this yourself, in the form of friends and co-workers talking your ear off about the docuseries they can’t stop watching. The Emmy Awards provide pretty good evidence too. In the last three years, documentaries by streaming studios have become serious competitors for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, and Netflix in particular is soaring—it’s beaten traditional studios for the Emmy twice already.

There’s no shortage of good documentaries on Netflix, so if you haven’t lost yourself in one yet, sign in to your Netflix account ASAP and give it a go. To choose, find your state’s most-searched documentary below or pick one at random so you can bring something new to the lunchtime debates.

Interesting Findings about Popular Documentaries on Netflix

• • With the current buzz around true crime series, it’s no surprise that The Staircase, one of the most recent additions to Netflix’s true crime docuseries, is the most popular documentary overall.
  • Of the top-searched documentaries this past year, 3 investigated past murder cases, 2 explored aspects of the healthcare industry, 2 touched on police work and race politics, and 3 centered animals and the natural world. The rest profiled specific people, groups, or cultural moments in American history, e.g., the toy industry’s role in shaping childhood.
  • Interest in documentaries tends to be heavily localized.
    • • The Staircase is the favorite in North Carolina, where the alleged murder took place.
      • Bobby Kennedy for President is the favorite in New York, the state Bobby Kennedy represented in the Senate from 1965 to 1968.
      • Chasing Coral and Mission Blue, both about the ocean, are the favorites in coastal states Virginia and Oregon.
      • Making a Murderer, the favorite in Wisconsin, takes place in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
      • Flint Town is the most searched documentary in Michigan, where the Flint water crisis continues.
      • Last Chance U is the favorite in Kansas and Mississippi, the home states of the football programs featured in the series (East Mississippi Community College and Independence Community College).
      • 13th, which is partly about the constitutional amendment to abolish slavery, is the most searched in 7 states with some of the longest histories of slavery during colonial and Civil War eras.

   

  Your State’s Favorite Netflix Documentary

  Alabama Last Chance U

  Alaska The Bleeding Edge

  Arizona The Staircase

  Arkansas Wild Wild Country

  California 13th

  Colorado Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

  Connecticut Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

  Delaware Dirty Money

  Florida 13th

  Georgia 13th

  Hawaii End Game

  Idaho The Bleeding Edge

  Illinois The Staircase

  Indiana The Toys That Made Us

  Iowa Making a Murderer

  Kansas Last Chance U

  Kentucky The Keepers

  Louisiana The Staircase

  Maine The Keepers

  Maryland 13th

  Massachusetts The Staircase

  Michigan Flint Town

  Minnesota The Ivory Game

  Mississippi Last Chance U

  Missouri 13th

  Montana The Staircase

  Nebraska The Staircase

  Nevada The Toys That Made Us

  New Hampshire The Staircase

  New Jersey The Staircase

  New Mexico 13th

  New York Bobby Kennedy for President

  North Carolina The Staircase

  North Dakota Making a Murderer

  Ohio The Staircase

  Oklahoma End Game

  Oregon Mission Blue

  Pennsylvania The Staircase

  Rhode Island 13th

  South Carolina 13th

  South Dakota The Staircase

  Tennessee Last Chance U

  Texas 13th

  Utah The Toys That Made Us

  Vermont 13th

  Virginia Chasing Coral

  Washington The Ivory Game

  West Virginia 13th

  Wisconsin Making a Murderer

  Wyoming Making a Murderer

  Methodology

  We started with Netflix Originals documentaries and docuseries rated 7.8 and above on IMDB. We then used Google search volume over the last year to see which documentary each state searched the most. Some documentaries met our criteria but are not included because there was not sufficient search data.

  Pro tip: Watch Netflix and DISH on the same device

  Did you know you can watch Netflix on your DISH Hopper 3? Available as a $5 upgrade for DISH subscribers, the Hopper 3 includes extra features like the built-in Netflix app (separate Netflix subscription required), which lets you stream top Netflix documentaries and even get Netflix titles in your DISH search results without switching inputs. To use this feature, just open the app on your Hopper 3 and sign in with your Netflix subscription.

  *Separate Netflix subscription required

   

  Image sources: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkj6b-HhGB7/?hl=en&tagged=bobbykennedyforpresident https://www.instagram.com/p/BoY8d7ohy93/?hl=en&tagged=stevenavery https://www.instagram.com/p/BobE1J9Bq7O/?hl=en&tagged=sylviaearle https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgg6kS-HpIg/?tagged=thekeepersnetflix https://www.instagram.com/p/BkI8DGTFtGB/?hl=en&tagged=thestaircasenetflix https://www.instagram.com/p/BjhJQPZlRl9/?tagged=thetoysthatmadeus  https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo_yAs_lim1/?hl=en&tagged=wildwildcountry