How many bagels does the average NJ resident eat in a year?

What began as a Jewish delicacy, the bagel is now a staple on tables across the country. But New Jersey is partial and proprietorial to its bagels, consuming on average of 82 round treats per person each year.

In fact, the bagel just keeps getting more and more popular − with Google searches for "bagels near me" having surged by 41% in the past three months.

To find out more bagel lore, Betway surveyed nearly 2,000 people across the country, asking about bagel flavors, fillings and just how many bagels people eat.

What is the most popular bagel order?

In the Garden State, the bagel go to is a plain bagel with plain cream cheese filling (54%). Garlic and herb and strawberry fillings nearly tie as close second (24%) and third (24%). Research revealed that cream cheese is the most popular filling by a landslide across the country as 57% named it as their preference prefer and it was the top choice in 42 of the 43 analyzed states.

Cinnamon raisin was crowned America’s favorite bagel, with 27.8% of respondents picking it as a top choice. Often eaten for breakfast, this sweet bagel typically has vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon and raisins added to the dough, making for a tasty morning treat. It seems that sweet flavors are a popular choice, as cinnamon raisin is closely followed by the blueberry bagel (27.3%).

More: Wait, what is a scooped bagel? Inside the LA vs. New York debate dividing foodies.

Sometimes less is more, proved by the country's love for the plain bagel, which came in third favorite overall. Just over a quarter (26.4%) of all respondents voted for a classic "no frills" bagel as their all-time favorite. The iconic "everything" bagel − typically topped with garlic and onion flakes, poppy seeds and sesame seeds − only ranks fourth (25.5%).

On TikTok, #bagel has seen over one billion views, so the bagel has become a world wide phenomenon.

How many bagels do Americans eat?

Beltway research revealed that almost 80% of Americans enjoy bagels at least once a month, with many − like us here in New Jersey − eating them much more often. According to our survey, the average American eats 85 bagels per year and the average New Jerseyan is right up there with 82 bagels per year − 29% said they munch on an average of two to three bagels a week.

It turns out there's quite an even divide among how frequently people eat bagels. Approximately 15% opt for a monthly bagel fix, while a slightly smaller percentage, 14.7%, enjoy one weekly. A further 13.2% of Americans prefer to eat their bagels once every two to three weeks.

However, the standouts are the hardcore bagel fans, making up 7.3% of respondents, who reported that they eat a bagel every single day. If that was applied to the entire population, that would mean a staggering 24 million bagels would be eaten at least once every day.

In terms of age, 25-34 year-olds are particularly big bagel fans, eating 102 each year, the most of all age groups, followed closely by 35-44 year-olds who eat an average of 101.

Interestingly, bagels are much more popular among men compared to women, as on average, they’ll eat 40% more per year (105 compared to 75).

Here in New Jersey, people also are happy to pay $2.58 for a bagel, with most (36%) saying they would pay up to $2.

email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: How many bagels does the average NJ resident eat in a year?