DES MOINES – According to a study, McDonald’s restaurants in Iowa have some of the lowest average ratings nationwide, at 3.33 out of five based on analysis of 84,144 customer reviews.
Iowa is home to the 13th-lowest-rated McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S., according to a study by Restaurant Furniture. They examined over 8.7 million customer reviews on Google across 4,867 McDonald’s locations nationwide to determine which areas serve up the best Golden Arches experience.
Davenport’s McDonald’s are the highest-rated statewide, with an average rating of 3.53.
Of the 10 most populated cities in each state, Roswell, New Mexico, has the best-rated McDonald’s (3.97), while Auburn, Alabama, has the worst (2.86).
The report looked at the top 10 cities in each state, analyzing the number of McDonald’s locations and their average ratings. Then, a weighted average of those city-level reviews was used to calculate which states have the highest and lowest-rated McDonald’s overall.
Locals need to travel to Davenport for the best McDonald’s in the state (3.53), followed by Iowa City (3.48). Of the state’s 10 largest cities, Cedar Rapids has the lowest-rated McDonald’s restaurants (3.08).
Table: States with the lowest-rated McDonald’s
|
Rank |
State |
McDonald’s in Sample |
Total Reviews |
Average Rating |
|
1 |
Michigan |
105 |
185,666 |
3.15 |
|
2 |
Georgia |
114 |
241,209 |
3.24 |
|
=3 |
Wisconsin |
107 |
151,917 |
3.25 |
|
=3 |
South Carolina |
72 |
172,484 |
3.25 |
|
=3 |
Ohio |
193 |
346,236 |
3.25 |
McDonald’s restaurants in Michigan have a lower average rating than any other state in America, scoring 3.15 based on 185,666 reviews across 105 locations. In fact, the average rating in the Wolverine State is over 15% lower than top-placed Hawaii (3.77).
Restaurants in Georgia follow closely behind with the second-lowest average rating of 3.24 from 114 locations and 241,209 reviews.
Those living in Ohio, South Carolina, and Wisconsin also have access to some of the nation’s worst-rated McDonald’s restaurants, each recording an average rating of 3.25.
At the other end of the study, Hawaii ranks as the state with the highest-rated McDonald’s restaurants, with an average rating of 3.77 across 48 locations and 68,580 reviews.
Of the most populated cities in each state, Roswell, New Mexico, claims the title for America’s highest-rated McDonald’s with an impressive average rating of 3.97. Meanwhile, New Mexico only places eighth overall among all 50 states.
Auburn, Alabama, sits at rockbottom with a rating of just 2.86. For a better McDonald’s experience in Alabama, customers could visit Dothan, where the average rating is 24% higher (3.55).
Nick Warren, Head of Ecommerce at Restaurant Furniture, commented, “This research really gives a great insight into how differently people across America feel about their McDonald’s experiences.
“What’s interesting is how some cities in lower-ranked states still manage to achieve outstanding ratings. This highlights that individual restaurant management and staff can make a dramatic difference in customer experience, regardless of statewide trends.”
Methodology:
- In June 2025, McDonald’s restaurant and review data was pulled from Google Maps for the top 10 cities in every state, to see how the presence and quality of McDonald’s locations stacked up across all 50 US states at a city level.
- After calculating an average rating for each city, they used those to create a weighted average score for each state.
- The final step was to rank the states from highest to lowest based on these scores.