Nielsen, the audience-measurement company that tracks television ratings, assembled data into “Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index,” trying to establish the most avid NFL markets based on eight key metrics.
The Green Bay Packers (covered by “Green Bay/Appleton”) ... did not rank No. 1. But they were top-three.
Nielsen's top-five rankings, in order, were the Buffalo Bills (208 points, where 100 is average), the Kansas City Chiefs (194), the Packers (172), the Cincinnati Bengals (160) and the Philadelphia Eagles (151). Los Angeles (86) and New York (85) were the two markets at the bottom.
To formulate the list, Nielsen used its own data on apparel purchases, event attendance, streaming, social-media following, TV viewership, radio listening, betting intent and overall interest level.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Nielsen's data concluded that markets with one team, strong local identity and fewer entertainment options performed well in fan attendance and engagement, what Nielsen termed “a small market, concentrated loyalty pattern that inflates per-capita engagement.”
Green Bay and Detroit both ranked very well in merchandise and apparel culture, too, ranked No. 4 and No. 5 overall despite their smaller market size. Nielsen concluded those rankings pointed “to a strong regional identity tied to recent team success (Lions) and generational fan culture (Packers).”
The NFL recorded its second-best viewership season ever in 2025, with an average of 18.7 million viewers (with 1989 ranking first at 19 million).
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where do Packers rank in Nielsen ‘Fandom Index?’ Shocker: Near the top