Michigan’s Top Podcasts Reveal a Perfect Mix of News and Leisure Listening

Article courtesy of Riverside.

Michigan residents search for “The Daily” more than any other podcast.
“The Daily” comes in second place nationwide, ranking as the top podcast in 13 states including California and New York.
“Call Her Daddy” ranks as the #1 most searched podcast in 16 states across America, including Florida, Arizona, and New Jersey.

A new study by Riverside,

an all-in-one podcast & video creation platform, has identified “The Daily” as Michigan’s most searched podcast. The study analyzed Google search data across all 50 states to determine which podcasts Americans search for most frequently, revealing significant regional preferences in podcast listening habits.

“The Daily,” a news podcast from The New York Times, ranks as the most popular podcast in Michigan and the second most popular podcast nationwide. Michigan residents search for this podcast 16.67 times per month on Google. It records the highest search volume in California with 89.17 average monthly searches, followed by New York with 78.33 searches.

“Call Her Daddy”

is the second most popular podcast in Michigan, averaging 15 monthly Google searches. The podcast, hosted by Alex Cooper, ranks number one in sixteen states.

Political commentary podcast “Pod Save America” secured third place in Michigan. Michigan residents searched for the podcast 13.33 times a month on Google.

“Embedded” ranks fourth in Michigan with 12.50 monthly Google searches. This podcast gives Michigan residents a glimpse into underreported topics and personal narratives.

The popular comedy podcast, “Bad Friends” ranks fifth in Michigan with 10 monthly Google searches. Hosts Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino give Michigan residents a range of content from unscripted banter to deeper conversations.

Abel Grünfeld, VP of Marketing at Riverside, commented on the findings:

“These results paint a fascinating picture of Michigan’s podcast preferences. While shows like “Call Her Daddy” and “The Daily” dominate nationwide, we see the distinct interest Michigan has in both knowledge-driven podcasts and ones for leisure. “The popularity of “Pod Save America” and ‘Embedded” suggests that many are looking for thoughtful, in-depth narratives and commentary. At the same time, the success of shows like ‘Bad Friends’ reflects a desire for levity and real, unscripted conversations.”

Methodology:

Data was gathered from Google Keyword Planner, which provides monthly and annual Google search volume for key phrases and terms across the US and for each state. Search terms were analyzed to determine the average monthly searches for podcasts in each state. The analysis included data from March 2024 to February 2025. For each state, podcasts were ranked based on their average monthly search volume.