50 Years in Music: Analyzing 50 Years of Number Ones
We analyzed number one songs from the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts from the start of 1975 to February 2025 to look at how music has changed over the last 50 years.
Key Findings
- R&B has been the most popular genre of music in the last 50 years.
- Mariah Carey has spent the most amount of time at number one in the last 50 years (97 weeks).
- New York rappers have spent more time at number one than rappers from California.
- Country music has spent more time at number one in the last 5 years than in the previous 45 years.
- Rock songs spent more weeks at number one in the 1980s (220), than in the 90s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s combined (98).
- New York City has given us more Billboard number one singles than any other city in the last 50 years.
- Hawaii has given us more Billboard number one singles per million residents than any other state.
- There is the same level of gender inequality among number one artists as from 2000-2025 as their was from 1975-2000
Jump to
Top Artists
Top Genres
Most Popular Genres by Decade
Most Popular Artists by Genre
Which States Have Spent the Most Time On Top of the Charts?
Who Are the Top Artists in Every State?
Who Are the Top Artists in Every State By Genre?
Which Cities Have Given Us the Most Number 1 Hits?
The Persistence of Gender Inequality in the Music Industry
Methodology
Top Artists by Weeks at Number 1
| Artist | Weeks at #1 | Number of #1 Songs |
|---|---|---|
| Mariah Carey | 97 | 20 |
| Rihanna | 60 | 9 |
| Drake | 56 | 7 |
| Boyz II Men | 50 | 5 |
| Usher | 47 | 6 |
| Beyoncé | 46 | 10 |
| Bruno Mars | 39 | 8 |
| Taylor Swift | 36 | 9 |
| Adele | 34 | 6 |
| Janet Jackson | 33 | 8 |
| Katy Perry | 33 | 6 |
| Michael Jackson | 33 | 8 |
| Justin Bieber | 32 | 5 |
| Madonna | 32 | 10 |
| Whitney Houston | 31 | 9 |
| Elton John | 30 | 6 |
| T.I. | 28 | 3 |
| Pharrell | 27 | 4 |
| Eminem | 26 | 6 |
| The Black Eyed Peas | 26 | 1 |
| 50 Cent | 23 | 3 |
| Ariana Grande | 23 | 6 |
| Bee Gees | 23 | 5 |
| Maroon 5 | 23 | 4 |
| Morgan Wallen | 23 | 2 |
| Nelly | 23 | 3 |
| Alicia Keys | 22 | 4 |
| Jay-Z | 22 | 4 |
| Monica | 22 | 2 |
| Santana | 22 | 2 |
| Lil Nas X | 21 | 2 |
| Lionel Richie | 21 | 6 |
| Kanye West | 21 | 6 |
| Christina Aguilera | 20 | 4 |
| Jennifer Lopez | 20 | 4 |
| R. Kelly | 20 | 3 |
| Puff Daddy | 19 | 1 |
| Shaboozey | 19 | 1 |
| Stevie Wonder | 19 | 5 |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | 18 | 1 |
| Céline Dion | 18 | 4 |
| Ed Sheeran | 18 | 2 |
| Flo Rida | 18 | 3 |
| Roddy Ricch | 18 | 1 |
| George Michael | 18 | 5 |
| Ludacris | 18 | 5 |
| The Weeknd | 18 | 6 |
| TLC | 18 | 2 |
| Bryan Adams | 17 | 4 |
Top Genres by Weeks at Number 1
| Genre | Weeks at Number 1 | % of Last 50 Years |
|---|---|---|
| R&B | 912 | 30% |
| Pop | 816 | 27% |
| Hip Hop | 701 | 23% |
| Rock | 129 | 4% |
| Country | 103 | 3% |
| Electronic | 81 | 3% |
| Disco | 79 | 3% |
| Latin | 66 | 2% |
| New Wave | 48 | 2% |
| Reggae | 41 | 1% |
| K Pop | 19 | 0.60% |
| Funk | 12 | 0.40% |
| Jazz | 5 | 0.20% |
| Tejano | 1 | <0.01% |
Which Genres Have Spent the Most Weeks at #1 by Decade
The tables below show each genre’s percentage of time at #1 by decade (starting from 1975).
1975-1979
| Decade | Genre | Weeks at #1 | % at Number 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-1979 | Disco | 82 | 30% |
| 1975-1979 | Pop | 78 | 29% |
| 1975-1979 | Rock | 41 | 15% |
| 1975-1979 | R&B | 35 | 13% |
| 1975-1979 | Country | 12 | 4% |
| 1975-1979 | Funk | 11 | 4% |
| 1975-1979 | New Wave | 6 | 2% |
| 1975-1979 | Jazz | 2 | <1% |
| 1975-1979 | Tejano | 1 | <1% |
1980-1989
| Decade | Genre | Weeks at #1 | % at Number 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-1989 | Rock | 220 | 35% |
| 1980-1989 | R&B | 170 | 27% |
| 1980-1989 | Pop | 157 | 25% |
| 1980-1989 | New Wave | 42 | 7% |
| 1980-1989 | Country | 18 | 3% |
| 1980-1989 | Electronic | 7 | 1% |
| 1980-1989 | Disco | 4 | <1% |
| 1980-1989 | Latin | 4 | <1% |
| 1980-1989 | Jazz | 3 | <1% |
| 1980-1989 | Reggae | 2 | <1% |
| 1980-1989 | Funk | 1 | <1% |
1990-1999
| Decade | Genre | Weeks at #1 | % at Number 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-1999 | R&B | 305 | 52% |
| 1990-1999 | Pop | 85 | 15% |
| 1990-1999 | Hip Hop | 77 | 13% |
| 1990-1999 | Rock | 58 | 10% |
| 1990-1999 | Latin | 22 | 4% |
| 1990-1999 | Reggae | 17 | 3% |
| 1990-1999 | Electronic | 15 | 3% |
| 1990-1999 | Disco | 1 | <1% |
2000-2009
| Decade | Genre | Weeks at #1 | % at Number 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2009 | Hip Hop | 357 | 43% |
| 2000-2009 | R&B | 270 | 32% |
| 2000-2009 | Pop | 162 | 19% |
| 2000-2009 | Rock | 24 | 3% |
| 2000-2009 | Reggae | 19 | 2% |
| 2000-2009 | Country | 3 | <1% |
| 2000-2009 | Latin | 2 | <1% |
2010-2019
| Decade | Genre | Weeks at #1 | % at Number 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-2019 | Pop | 335 | 41% |
| 2010-2019 | Hip Hop | 186 | 23% |
| 2010-2019 | R&B | 175 | 22% |
| 2010-2019 | Electronic | 59 | 7% |
| 2010-2019 | Latin | 24 | 3% |
| 2010-2019 | Country | 18 | 2% |
| 2010-2019 | Rock | 9 | 1% |
| 2010-2019 | Reggae | 4 | <1% |
2020-2025
| Decade | Genre | Weeks at #1 | % at Number 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2025 | Hip Hop | 109 | 32% |
| 2020-2025 | Pop | 103 | 30% |
| 2020-2025 | Country | 52 | 15% |
| 2020-2025 | R&B | 50 | 14% |
| 2020-2025 | K Pop | 19 | 5% |
| 2020-2025 | Rock | 7 | 2% |
| 2020-2025 | Latin | 5 | 1% |
| 2020-2025 | Electronic | 1 | <1% |
Rock’s Popularity Over the Last 50 Years
Rock music’s decline sine the 1980s has been immense.
In the last 10 years there have only been three rock songs that hit number one on Billboard.
Even these are only borderline rock. They are:- Hozer’s Too Sweet
- Glass Animal’s Heatwaves
- Coldplay’s My Universe
Hip Hop’s Popularity Over the Last 50 Years
The first hip hop #1 was Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby in 1990.
Since 1990 hip hop has been the most popular genre of music in the US, with hip hop tracks spending 729 weeks at number one on Billboard.
That’s 33% of the last 25 years.
R&B’s Popularity Over The Last 50 Years
R&B’s popularity has endured over the decades, making it the most popular genre of music in the US over the last 50 years.
It peaked in the 1990s, with top artists being:
- Mariah Carey: 60 weeks at number 1
- Boyz II Men: 50 weeks at number 1
- Whitney Houston: 23 weeks at number 1
- TLC: 18 weeks at number 1
Country Music's Popularity Over the Last 50 Years
Country music is currently at its most popular in the last 50 years, mainly thanks to Shaboozey’s Tipsy and Morgan Wallen’s I Need Some Help.
Both songs blend country music with hip hop elements with country rap being the most popular subgenre of music in the 2020s.
Which Artist Has Spent the Most Amount of Time at #1 For Each Genre?
The table below shows which artist has spent the most amount of time at #1 of the Billboard Hot 100 by each genre.
R&B
| Artist | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| Mariah Carey | 97 |
| Rihanna | 60 |
| Drake | 56 |
| Boyz II Men | 50 |
| Usher | 47 |
| Beyoncé | 46 |
| Janet Jackson | 33 |
| Michael Jackson | 33 |
| Whitney Houston | 31 |
| Pharrell | 27 |
| Alicia Keys | 22 |
| Monica | 22 |
| R. Kelly | 20 |
| Stevie Wonder | 19 |
| The Weeknd | 18 |
| TLC | 18 |
| Destiny's Child | 17 |
| Diana Ross | 16 |
| Brandy | 15 |
| Paula Abdul | 15 |
| Ashanti | 12 |
| 112 | 11 |
| All-4-One | 11 |
| Faith Evans | 11 |
| Kelly Rowland | 10 |
| The Product G&B | 10 |
| Wizkid | 10 |
| Lizzo | 9 |
| Mario | 9 |
| Chris Brown | 8 |
| Ciara | 7 |
| Montell Jordan | 7 |
| Fergie | 6 |
| Irene Cara | 6 |
| Janelle Monáe | 6 |
| Mary J. Blige | 6 |
| Milli Vanilli | 6 |
| Omi | 6 |
| Billy Ocean | 5 |
| Joe | 5 |
| K-Ci & JoJo | 5 |
| Michael McDonald | 5 |
| Next | 5 |
| Ray Dalton | 5 |
| Steve Winwood | 5 |
| The Emotions | 5 |
| Toni Braxton | 5 |
| Vanessa Williams | 5 |
Pop
| Artist | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| Bruno Mars | 39 |
| Taylor Swift | 36 |
| Adele | 34 |
| Katy Perry | 33 |
| Justin Bieber | 32 |
| Madonna | 32 |
| Elton John | 30 |
| Ariana Grande | 23 |
| Maroon 5 | 23 |
| Lionel Richie | 21 |
| Christina Aguilera | 20 |
| Jennifer Lopez | 20 |
| Céline Dion | 18 |
| Ed Sheeran | 18 |
| George Michael | 18 |
| Lady Gaga | 17 |
| Harry Styles | 16 |
| Olivia Newton-John | 16 |
| Paul McCartney | 16 |
| Rod Stewart | 15 |
| Justin Timberlake | 14 |
| Mark Ronson | 14 |
| Charlie Puth | 12 |
| Pink | 12 |
| Robin Thicke | 12 |
| Miley Cyrus | 11 |
| Barbra Streisand | 10 |
| Debbie Gibson | 10 |
| Kesha | 10 |
| Carly Rae Jepsen | 9 |
| Lorde | 9 |
| Nelly Furtado | 9 |
| Olivia Rodrigo | 9 |
| Gotye | 8 |
| Kimbra | 8 |
| Timbaland | 8 |
| Wham! | 8 |
| Charli XCX | 7 |
| Kelly Clarkson | 7 |
| The Kid Laroi | 7 |
| Britney Spears | 6 |
| Lauren Bennett | 6 |
| Savage Garden | 6 |
| Captain & Tennille | 5 |
| Daniel Powter | 5 |
| Enrique Iglesias | 5 |
| Lil' Kim | 5 |
| Mýa | 5 |
| New Kids on the Block | 5 |
| Roxette | 5 |
| The Bangles | 5 |
Hip Hop
| Artist | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| T.I. | 28 |
| Eminem | 26 |
| The Black Eyed Peas | 26 |
| 50 Cent | 23 |
| Nelly | 23 |
| Jay-Z | 22 |
| Lil Nas X | 21 |
| Kanye West | 19 |
| Puff Daddy | 19 |
| Flo Rida | 18 |
| Roddy Ricch | 18 |
| Ludacris | 18 |
| Cardi B | 16 |
| T-Pain | 14 |
| Ja Rule | 13 |
| Post Malone | 13 |
| Wiz Khalifa | 13 |
| Lil Jon | 12 |
| Jamie Foxx | 11 |
| Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | 11 |
| OutKast | 11 |
| Snoop Dogg | 11 |
| Jack Harlow | 10 |
| 21 Savage | 9 |
| Olivia | 9 |
| 24kGoldn | 8 |
| Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | 8 |
| Iann Dior | 8 |
| Kris Kross | 8 |
| Lil Wayne | 8 |
| Mase | 8 |
| Meghan Trainor | 8 |
| Quavo | 8 |
| DaBaby | 7 |
| Dr. Dre | 7 |
| Gucci Mane | 7 |
| Iggy Azalea | 7 |
| Petey Pablo | 7 |
| Soulja Boy Tell 'Em | 7 |
Rock
| Artist | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| Santana | 22 |
| Bryan Adams | 17 |
| Phil Collins | 15 |
| Hall and Oates | 14 |
| Rob Thomas | 12 |
| Blondie | 10 |
| Kim Carnes | 9 |
| Bon Jovi | 8 |
| Prince | 8 |
| Wings | 8 |
| Joan Jett and the Blackhearts | 7 |
| Queen | 7 |
| Chicago | 6 |
| Fun | 6 |
| Huey Lewis and the News | 6 |
| Magic! | 6 |
| Survivor | 6 |
| The J. Geils Band | 6 |
| Billy Joel | 5 |
| Eagles | 5 |
| Glass Animals | 5 |
| John Lennon | 5 |
| Meat Loaf | 5 |
| Richard Marx | 5 |
| Starship | 5 |
| U2 | 5 |
| Van Halen | 5 |
| Aerosmith | 4 |
| Bonnie Tyler | 4 |
| Christopher Cross | 4 |
| Heart | 4 |
| John Cougar | 4 |
| Michael Bolton | 4 |
| Mr. Mister | 4 |
| Nickelback | 4 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 |
| REO Speedwagon | 4 |
| Sinéad O'Connor | 4 |
| Commodores | 3 |
| David Bowie | 3 |
| Dire Straits | 3 |
| Joe Cocker | 3 |
| Kenny Loggins | 3 |
| Los Lobos | 3 |
| Mr. Big | 3 |
| Nate Ruess | 3 |
| Paul Simon | 3 |
| Peter Cetera | 3 |
| Player | 3 |
| Poison | 3 |
| Rupert Holmes | 3 |
| Steve Miller Band | 3 |
| Sting | 3 |
| Wild Cherry | 3 |
Country
| Artist | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| Morgan Wallen | 23 |
| Shaboozey | 19 |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | 18 |
| Kenny Rogers | 8 |
| Dolly Parton | 4 |
| Exile | 4 |
| Jennifer Warnes | 5 |
| Brenda Lee | 5 |
| Glen Campbell | 3 |
| Kacey Musgraves | 3 |
| Eddie Rabbitt | 2 |
| John Denver | 2 |
| Lonestar | 2 |
| Oliver Anthony Music | 2 |
| Taylor Hicks | 2 |
| Zach Bryan | 2 |
| Jason Aldean | 2 |
| Anne Murray | 1 |
| C.W. McCall | 1 |
| The Bellamy Brothers | 1 |
Which States Have Spent the Most Time At Number 1 in the Last 50 Years
The table below shows us which states’ artists have spent the most time at number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100.
Countries outside of the US have been counted as states.
| State/Country | Weeks at Number 1 |
|---|---|
| New York | 469 |
| UK | 441 |
| California | 400 |
| Texas | 199 |
| Canada | 190 |
| Georgia | 178 |
| Pennsylvania | 139 |
| Florida | 117 |
| New Jersey | 112 |
| Michigan | 108 |
| Illinois | 103 |
| Indiana | 73 |
| Tennessee | 67 |
| Virginia | 65 |
| Barbados | 60 |
| Puerto Rico | 46 |
| Hawaii | 43 |
| Massachusetts | 43 |
| Kentucky | 38 |
| Alabama | 32 |
| Washington | 32 |
| Ohio | 32 |
| Australia | 32 |
| Jamaica | 30 |
| Mississippi | 30 |
| Minnesota | 28 |
| Maryland | 27 |
| Spain | 19 |
| South Korea | 19 |
| New Zealand | 18 |
| North Carolina | 18 |
| Washington DC | 17 |
| Louisiana | 17 |
| Scotland | 16 |
| North Dakota | 13 |
| Missouri | 13 |
| Sweden | 12 |
| Nigeria | 11 |
| Arkansas | 10 |
| Ireland | 10 |
| Germany | 9 |
| Oklahoma | 8 |
| Cuba | 8 |
| Belgium | 8 |
| Colombia | 8 |
| Kansas | 6 |
| Arizona | 5 |
| Wales | 4 |
| Iowa | 4 |
| Connecticut | 4 |
| South Carolina | 4 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 3 |
| Austria | 3 |
| New Mexico | 2 |
| Haiti | 2 |
| Netherlands | 2 |
| Rhode Island | 1 |
| Norway | 1 |
| Greece | 1 |
| Czechia | 1 |
| France | 1 |
Which States Have Spent the Most Time At Number 1 in the Last 50 Years Per Million Residents
| State/Country | Weeks at #1 For Every Million People |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | 29.73 |
| Washington DC | 24.21 |
| New York | 23.61 |
| North Dakota | 16.32 |
| Georgia | 15.92 |
| New Jersey | 11.79 |
| Michigan | 10.65 |
| Pennsylvania | 10.63 |
| Indiana | 10.54 |
| Mississippi | 10.19 |
| California | 10.14 |
| Tennessee | 9.27 |
| Kentucky | 8.28 |
| Illinois | 8.1 |
| Virginia | 7.38 |
| Texas | 6.36 |
| Alabama | 6.2 |
| Massachusetts | 6.03 |
| Florida | 5.01 |
| Canada | 4.9 |
| Minnesota | 4.83 |
| Maryland | 4.31 |
| Washington | 4.02 |
| Louisiana | 3.7 |
| Arkansas | 3.24 |
| Ohio | 2.69 |
| Missouri | 2.08 |
| Kansas | 2.02 |
| Oklahoma | 1.95 |
| North Carolina | 1.63 |
| Iowa | 1.23 |
| Connecticut | 1.09 |
| New Mexico | 0.94 |
| Rhode Island | 0.9 |
| South Carolina | 0.73 |
| Arizona | 0.66 |
Which Artist Has Spent the Most Amount of Time at #1 By State?
The table below shows which artists has spent the most amount of weeks at number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 by state in the last 50 years:
| State | Artist | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Lionel Ritchie | 21 |
| Arizona | Mr Mister | 4 |
| Arkansas | Johnnie Taylor | 4 |
| Australia | Iggy Azalea | 7 |
| Austria | Falco | 3 |
| Barbados | Rihanna | 60 |
| Belgium | Gotye | 8 |
| California | Katy Perry | 26 |
| Canada | Drake | 54 |
| Colombia | Carolina Gaitan | 5 |
| Connecticut | Michael Bolton | 4 |
| Cuba | Gloria Estefan | 3 |
| Czechia | Jan Hammer | 1 |
| Florida | Ariana Grande | 17 |
| France | Daft Punk | 1 |
| Georgia | T.I. | 28 |
| Germany | Milli Vanilli | 5 |
| Greece | Vangelis | 1 |
| Haiti | Wycleff Jean | 2 |
| Illinois | Kanye West | 18 |
| Indiana | Janet Jackson | 31 |
| Iowa | Nate Reuss | 3 |
| Ireland | U2 | 5 |
| Jamaica | Sean Paul | 17 |
| Kansas | Janelle Monae | 6 |
| Kentucky | Billy Ray Cyrus | 18 |
| Louisiana | Lil Wayne | 8 |
| Maryland | Toni Braxton | 12 |
| Massachusetts | Donna Summer | 13 |
| Michigan | Madonna | 32 |
| Minnesota | Prince | 8 |
| Missouri | Akon | 8 |
| Mississippi | Brandy | 15 |
| New Jersey | Whitney Houston | 31 |
| New Mexico | John Denver | 2 |
| New York | Mariah Carey | 97 |
| New Zealand | Lorde | 9 |
| Nigeria | Wizkid | 10 |
| North Carolina | J Cole | 1 |
| North Dakota | Wiz Khalifa | 13 |
| Norway | Aha | 1 |
| Ohio | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | 8 |
| Oklahoma | Color me Badd/Hanson | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | Boyz II Men | 42 |
| Puerto Rico | Daddy Yanki & Luis Fonsi | 16 |
| Rhode Island | Bill Conti | 1 |
| South Carolina | Young Jeezy | 3 |
| Spain | Los Del Rio | 14 |
| South Korea | BTS | 17 |
| Sweden | Ace of Base | 6 |
| Tennessee | Morgan Wallen | 23 |
| Texas | Usher | 47 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Nicki Minaj | 3 |
| Virginia | Pharrell | 27 |
| Washington | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | 11 |
| Washington DC | Mya | 5 |
| UK | Adele | 34 |
Which State Have Spent the Most Weeks at Number 1 By Genre
The tables below show which state have spent the most amount of time at #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 by genre.
R&B
| State/Country | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| New York | 167 |
| Texas | 116 |
| Canada | 85 |
| Georgia | 73 |
| Indiana | 69 |
| Barbados | 60 |
| California | 57 |
| Pennsylvania | 53 |
| Michigan | 49 |
| New Jersey | 48 |
| Virginia | 35 |
| UK | 22 |
| Maryland | 22 |
| Florida | 17 |
| Illinois | 17 |
| Nigeria | 11 |
| Ohio | 8 |
| Mississippi | 8 |
| Minnesota | 8 |
| Tennessee | 7 |
| Missouri | 6 |
| Kansas | 6 |
| Jamaica | 6 |
| Arkansas | 6 |
| North Carolina | 6 |
| Germany | 5 |
| Massachusetts | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 3 |
| Hawaii | 2 |
| South Carolina | 1 |
| Washington DC | 1 |
Pop
| State/Country | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| UK | 232 |
| California | 133 |
| New York | 97 |
| Canada | 71 |
| Pennsylvania | 52 |
| Hawaii | 40 |
| Michigan | 32 |
| New Jersey | 32 |
| Florida | 26 |
| Tennessee | 25 |
| Alabama | 21 |
| Australia | 17 |
| Massachusetts | 13 |
| Texas | 9 |
| New Zealand | 9 |
| Virginia | 8 |
| Belgium | 8 |
| DC | 7 |
| Sweden | 6 |
| Mississippi | 6 |
| Spain | 5 |
| Minnesota | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 4 |
| Maryland | 3 |
| Cuba | 3 |
| Georgia | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
Hip Hop
| State/Country | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| New York | 149 |
| California | 99 |
| Georgia | 98 |
| Illinois | 53 |
| Texas | 53 |
| Florida | 45 |
| Michigan | 26 |
| Washington | 22 |
| Ohio | 19 |
| Louisiana | 17 |
| Kentucky | 15 |
| North Dakota | 13 |
| North Carolina | 10 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 |
| UK | 9 |
| Puerto Rico | 8 |
| Mississippi | 8 |
| New Jersey | 7 |
| Missouri | 7 |
| Alabama | 7 |
| Australia | 7 |
| Tennessee | 4 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 3 |
| South Carolina | 3 |
| Haiti | 2 |
| Maryland | 2 |
| Washington DC | 2 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
Rock
| State | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| UK | 82 |
| California | 81 |
| Illinois | 31 |
| Alabama | 28 |
| New York | 25 |
| Canada | 25 |
| Florida | 14 |
| New Jersey | 12 |
| Minnesota | 12 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 |
| Massachusetts | 13 |
| Texas | 9 |
| Ireland | 10 |
| Belgium | 8 |
| Washington | 7 |
| Australia | 4 |
| Connecticut | 4 |
| Indiana | 4 |
| Iowa | 3 |
| Arizona | 3 |
| Kentucky | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| Washington DC | 1 |
Country
| State | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|
| Tennessee | 31 |
| Kentucky | 22 |
| Virginia | 21 |
| Texas | 11 |
| Georgia | 4 |
| Washington | 3 |
| Alabama | 1 |
| Arkansas | 1 |
| California | 1 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
Which Cities Have Produced the Most Number 1 Hits?
The table below shows the 50 cities that have produced artists who have spent the most amount of time at #1 on Billboard Hot 100:
| City | State/Country | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | New York | 310 |
| London | UK | 223 |
| Los Angeles | California | 181 |
| Atlanta | Georgia | 147 |
| Huntingdon | New York | 97 |
| Toronto | Canada | 84 |
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 83 |
| Houston | Texas | 81 |
| Chicago | Illinois | 73 |
| Gary | Indiana | 69 |
| San Francisco | California | 64 |
| San Jose | California | 64 |
| St Michael | Barbados | 60 |
| Dallas | Texas | 53 |
| Detroit | Michigan | 52 |
| Newark | New Jersey | 43 |
| Manchester | UK | 39 |
| Compton | California | 37 |
| San Juan | Puerto Rico | 37 |
| West Reading | Pennsylvania | 36 |
| Liverpool | UK | 33 |
| Santa Barbara | California | 33 |
| London (Canada) | Canada | 32 |
| Bay City | Michigan | 32 |
| Brooklyn | New York | 32 |
| Kingston | Canada | 32 |
| Miami | Florida | 28 |
| Suffolk | UK | 28 |
| Virginia Beach | Virginia | 27 |
| Boston | Massachusetts | 24 |
| Seattle | Washington | 24 |
| Tuskegee | Alabama | 24 |
| Austin | Texas | 23 |
| Boca Raton | Florida | 23 |
| Sneedville | Tennessee | 23 |
| Champaign | Illinois | 22 |
| Memphis | Tennessee | 22 |
| McComb | Mississippi | 21 |
| Syracuse | New York | 21 |
| Birmingham | UK | 20 |
| Saginaw | Michigan | 19 |
| Woodbridge | Virginia | 19 |
| Charlemagne | Canada | 18 |
| Cleveland | Ohio | 18 |
| College Park | Georgia | 18 |
| College Park | Georgia | 18 |
| Flatwoods | Kentucky | 18 |
| New Orleans | Louisiana | 17 |
| Seoul | South Korea | 17 |
Now this skews very heavily in favor of cities with a large population, so let’s look at the cities that have spent the most amount of time at #1 per 100,000 people (again top 50 shown):
Cities that Have Spent the Most Time at Number 1 Per 100,000 Residents
| City | State/Country | Weeks per 100,000 People |
|---|---|---|
| Sneedville | Tennessee | 1794.07 |
| St Michael | Barbados | 1200 |
| Crawfordsville | Arkansas | 835.07 |
| Pittman Center | Tennessee | 796.81 |
| West Reading | Pennsylvania | 790.69 |
| Golden | Texas | 500 |
| Huntingdon | New York | 411.02 |
| Tappahannock | Virginia | 336.84 |
| Charlemagne | Canada | 300.55 |
| Tuskegee | Alabama | 285.92 |
| Flatwoods | Kentucky | 248.07 |
| Rumson | New Jersey | 176.47 |
| McComb | Mississippi | 164.19 |
| Hanna | Canada | 149.64 |
| Doylestown | Pennsylvania | 144.93 |
| College Park | Georgia | 129.28 |
| Gary | Indiana | 99.87 |
| Bay City | Michigan | 97.98 |
| Meopham | UK | 93.36 |
| Mingo Junction | Ohio | 89.63 |
| Oologah | Oklahoma | 83.33 |
| Terrell | Texas | 58.86 |
| Nantucket | Massachusetts | 56.12 |
| Audubon | Iowa | 48.71 |
| Tarrytown | New York | 44.34 |
| Saginaw | Michigan | 42.97 |
| Glen Cove | New York | 42.31 |
| Monessen | Pennsylvania | 38.86 |
| Compton | California | 38.65 |
| Santa Barbara | California | 37.22 |
| Mechanicsburg | Pennsylvania | 32.22 |
| Chanhassen | Minnesota | 30.67 |
| Brownsville | Tennessee | 30.65 |
| Atlanta | Georgia | 29.48 |
| San Bernadino | California | 28.82 |
| Lihue | Hawaii | 28.31 |
| Guildford | Australia | 28.31 |
| Camden | Arkansas | 26.94 |
| Bessemer | Alabama | 26.9 |
| Minot | North Dakota | 26.87 |
| Leland | Mississippi | 25 |
| Champaign | Illinois | 24.91 |
| Eaglewood | New Jersey | 24.34 |
| Bonsall | California | 24.17 |
| Kingston | Canada | 24.15 |
| Severn | Maryland | 23.76 |
| Boca Raton | Florida | 23.04 |
| Santa Ynez | California | 22.63 |
| Sarasota | Florida | 21.78 |
| Hackensack | New Jersey | 21.72 |
Gender Inequality In The Billboard Hot 100
Here are the weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 broken down by gender over the last 50 years:
| Gender | Weeks at #1 | % of time at #1 |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 1,169 | 25% |
| Male | 2,136 | 63% |
| Mixed | 88 | 2% |
We can also see in the table below that this gender inequality has not changed over time:
| Gender | 1975-1979 | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2019-2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 24% | 30% | 41% | 34% | 36% | 34% |
| Male | 65% | 66% | 53% | 62% | 64% | 66% |
| Mixed | 11% | 4% | 6% | 4% | 0% | 0% |
Gender Inequality by Music Genre
As we can see, female artists are very underrepresented in hip hop, rock and country music.| Gender | Pop | R&B | Hip Hop | Rock | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 54% | 54% | 87% | 3% | 11% |
| Male | 45% | 45% | 8% | 93% | 89% |
| Mixed | 1% | 1% | 5% | 4% | 0% |
Methodology
To put together this study, Fifty Years of Music looked at Billboard Hot 100 records from 1975 to 2025 to see:
- 1) Number 1 singles over this time
- 2) Time spent at number 1 per song
Genre and location data were taken from each song and artists' Wikipedia pages. If there were multiple genres then the first genre listed was used.
Songs that charted more than once consecutively (Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas for example) are counted as multiple entries.
Location of origin was used instead of birth location
Population data was taken from the US Censeus Bureau or their internatoinal equivalents