Everyone double-check those “news articles,” make sure the “verified” accounts that are tweeting out information are real, and Google something when your friends tell you that something has happened.

Yes, it's almost April 1—and while the Final Four will be taking place that day—it also means we are approaching April Fools’ Day, too.

Lies, jokes, deceit, and good old-fashioned fun highlight this day that can also go off the rails if someone is naïve enough to believe what they hear, read, or see on 4/1. 

But how likely you are to hear, read, or see something April Fools’ Day-worthy may depend on which state you’re living in.

Yes, it’s true. Some states really like to have more fun—or make cruel jokes, depending on how you feel about these types of things. Which states? We’re glad you asked. We analyzed all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to look at the ones that enjoy April Fools’ Day most. Here’s what we found:

Methodology

We used Google Trends data to analyze the search term 'April Fools' and associated terms. We took a five-year dataset across the 50 states, plus Washington D.C. 

Each state was given a numerical value based on the search popularity of the term(s) relative to the population of the given state. The higher the value, the more frequently April Fools' was searched relative to the size of the state.

Did You Hear North and South Dakota Are Merging Into One State?

OK, not really. But we had to make a quick joke when seeing that North Dakota loves April Fools’ Day more than any other state in America. What’s interesting is that South Dakota was middle of the pack—and ranked among the lowest states in the country in 2023. 

So the good news is that if you live in South Dakota, you can make the quick trip north of the border and play some pranks.

Who Says It’s Impossible to Have Fun in Utah?

So it’s not the best place in the country to party. And apparently, they’re not all that into St. Patrick’s Day. But when it comes to playing pranks to kick off April Fools’ Day, Utah is all about it. It ranked fourth among all states despite a quiet 2023, and we loved to see it. 

Others in the top 10 that surprised us? Idaho (3rd), Maine (5th), Arkansas (6th), and Iowa (7th). That’s spread out across the country from sea to shining sea. Alaska finished second in the rankings, and we can only imagine how fun it is to play pranks when ice and snow are involved.

No time for jokes in Nevada, apparently

There’s already enough going on in Las Vegas and plenty of people are on tilt from their sports betting and casino plays. So we’re not making jokes on April 1 in Nevada, which ranked last among all states in our dataset.

Other notable states that finished in the bottom-10 include Washington, D.C. (49th; too much serious business going on), Hawaii (46th; no time for jokes when you’re relaxing so hard); and Florida (44th, it’s hard to make jokes when the reality of Florida Man is so unbelievable as-is).