DES MOINES – New research has identified the states with the highest numbers of lottery winners per capita, and Iowa is 17th-best on the list.
The study by Pulsz.com examined the locations of all Powerball and Mega Millions winners across the United States from the present to their establishments in 1992 and 2002, respectively. It then used population data to calculate the number of winners per million residents to determine which states have been the most fortunate in major lottery drawings.
Iowa Findings: Lottery Winners Per Capita
Iowa ranks 17th nationally for lottery winners per million residents:
- Iowa – 17th nationally, 2.78 winners per million residents (9 winners from a population of 3,241,488).
This places Iowa just behind Idaho in the rankings.
The top ten states with the most lottery winners per million people
| Rank | State | Total Winners | Population | Winners per Million |
| 1 | Delaware | 10 | 1,051,917 | 9.51 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 12 | 1,409,032 | 8.52 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 9 | 1,112,308 | 8.09 |
| 4 | Indiana | 41 | 6,924,275 | 5.92 |
| 5 | Missouri | 34 | 6,245,466 | 5.44 |
| 6 | West Virginia | 9 | 1,769,979 | 5.08 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 10 | 2,005,465 | 4.99 |
| 8 | Kansas | 13 | 2,970,606 | 4.38 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 19 | 4,588,372 | 4.14 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 23 | 5,793,151 | 3.97 |
Delaware, with a population of just 1,051,917, has produced 10 major lottery winners, resulting in 9.51 winners per million residents, nearly twice the rate of most other states in the top 10.
New Hampshire secured the second position with 8.52 winners per million residents, having produced 12 major lottery winners from its population of 1,409,032.
Rhode Island ranked third with 8.09 winners per million people, generating 9 jackpot winners despite its small population of just 1,112,308 residents.
The study found that Indiana has produced the highest total number of winners among the top-ranked states, with 41 jackpot winners resulting in 5.92 winners per million residents, placing it fourth overall.
Missouri rounds out the top five with 5.44 winners per million people, having generated 34 lottery winners from its population of 6,245,466.
In contrast, larger states typically show lower rates of winners per capita. Texas ranks near the bottom, with just 0.58 winners per million residents, despite producing 18 jackpot winners overall. Florida, with 22 winners, has just 0.94 winners per million residents.
Three states, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Wyoming, have yet to produce a single Powerball or Mega Millions winner.
A spokesperson from Pulsz.com commented on the findings, “It’s interesting to see smaller states like Delaware, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island dominate the top of the rankings, while larger states such as Texas and Florida fall to the bottom once population is considered. This shows that when it comes to lottery jackpots, it isn’t just about where the most tickets are sold, but how often residents of different states are playing. Rhode Island, for example, ranks as the state with the highest per-person lottery spending according to US Census Data, which likely boosts its odds of producing winners. For players, this creates the perception that some states are ‘luckier’ than others, even though the odds technically remain the same no matter where you buy your ticket.
Sources for the study were listed as the US Census, Powerball and Mega Millions.