The Nerd Capital of America
Seattle ranks No. 1 for geek culture
By Sarah Stackhouse February 20, 2025
Washington tops yet another list — this time for something that actually matters: full-throttle, no-holds-barred nerdery.
Geek culture thrives here. Seattle has PAX West, Emerald City Comic Con, Sakura-Con, Microsoft, and Boeing. But it goes beyond that. We’ve got indie bookstores, record shops, game rooms, escape rooms, a pinball museum, and divey theaters screening cult classics and rare indie films. Even our sports fans nerd out over jerseys, scarves, and advanced analytics. If there’s a hobby or niche obsession, we don’t dabble — we go all in.
This very scientific, totally-not-nerdy study by Online Solitaire found that Washington leads the nation in searches for cosplay, fanfiction, Rubik’s cubes, astronomy, and LARPing (live-action role-playing).
“Washington’s strong tech industry, with major players like Microsoft, may influence its nerd culture,” says Holger Sindbæk, founder of Online Solitaire. “The state’s search volume shows how deeply embedded tech and gaming are in this state.”
The real surprise isn’t that we’re searching for fanfic and cosplay — it’s that anyone thought we wouldn’t be.
Seattle also tops the list of nerdiest cities, beating Portland (No. 4) and San Francisco (No. 7). Tough break, Portland. You can keep your zines and vintage bikes — we’ll be over here 3D-printing spaceship parts and mapping exoplanets in full Starfleet uniform.
So if you’ve ever lined up for a limited-edition Costco Pokémon drop, downloaded the SIFF app to optimize your viewing schedule, or lost hours twisting a Rubik’s Cube, congratulations — you’re in good company. Washington is lucky to have you!
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