Minnesotans wear their passions on their sleeves—literally. From loons to lake outlines, one design has now inked its way to the top as the state’s most popular tattoo.

Tattoos are more popular than ever

Tattoos continue to increase in popularity here in Minnesota and across the country. In fact, the Minnesota Department of Health is charged with licensing tattoo shops across the state, which it calls 'body art establishments.' And, as of December 2024, there are currently 320 licensed body art establishments in the Bold North. Additionally, each body art technician at any of those establishments is also required to possess a state license.

Now, I'm probably the wrong person to write this story, seeing as I don't have ANY tattoos at all. But I've always been curious about what tattoos people get, and the reasons behind why they get them.

So when I saw this survey from the number crunchers over at Zippia, I was intrigued. And, as it turns out, I was more than a little surprised at the results when it comes to finding the most popular tattoo here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Here's how they figured out what the most popular tattoo is

First, a little background. How did Zippia determine the most popular tattoo here in Minnesota, and in every other state? Their story stated that they analyzed a full year's worth of Google Trends data and compiled a list of the most searched-for tattoos in each state, and then used a search proxy to measure tattoo intent.

So, what IS the most popular tattoo in Minnesota?

And here in the Gopher State, we like to get tattoos of... cats. That's right, the tattoo Minnesotans get more than any other, according to Zippia, is a cat tattoo! It's also the most popular tattoo in South Dakota, as well. Do we love cats that much here in Minnesota?

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I'm not sure that makes a whole lot of sense, but then again, the most popular tattoo in Arizona is one of actor Shia LeBeouf-- and he's not even from that state. Over in my home state of Wisconsin, fox tattoos are most popular (I'd have thought sure it would have been Green Bay Packer tattoos, right?), and in Iowa, it's the pink elephant tattoo that's the most popular.

If you thought those results were weird, check out these popular tattoos

The study also found that political tattoos that were initially popular a few years ago are still tops in at least two states (though they seem unlikely to age well, don't they?) Michigan's favorite was a Biden tattoo, and Pennsylvania's most popular tattoo was of Bernie Sanders. And, Mississippi's favorite tattoo remains a Trump tattoo, which first became most popular a few years ago.

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Meanwhile, speaking of things that are popular in Minnesota, pets have to be near the top of the list, right? Heck, my wife and I share our home with dogs and three cats. But there are some animals you CAN'T keep as pets-- because having one is against the law in many cities in the Bold North. Keep scrolling to see what they are!

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