Texas Ranks High in Raw Count of Social Media Creators, Lower After Population Adjustment

Texas ranked near the top of a new analysis of where major social media creators were born, but its standing drops sharply when population is taken into account. A new study found that 43 Texas-born creators appeared among the most-followed U.S. creators across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch, putting the state No. 4 by raw count behind California, New York, and Florida. Those creators had more than 1.57 billion followers and subscribers combined. But the rankings shifted after adjusting for population, according to a Statesman analysis. Texas had about 1.36 top creators per 1 million residents, placing it closer to the middle of the pack than the top tier. The states leading in raw totals are also among the nation’s most populous, meaning the headline rankings partly reflect where more people live. California remained the clear outlier. It ranked No. 1 by raw count, with 137 creators counted in the new study, and No. 5 per capita, with about 3.5 creators per 1 million residents. Florida ranked No. 3 by count, with 44 creators, but dropped to No. 9 per capita, at about 1.9 creators per million residents. Texas performed best on Twitch, where 19 Texas-born creators appeared in the study. The Texas-born Twitch streamers in the analysis include several of the platform’s most-followed personalities.