Utah's Comedy Scene By The Numbers

Utahns apparently know how to take a joke and tell one, too. Just in time for National Tell a Joke Day, new research from Hard Rock Bet ranks Utah as having the sixth best sense of humor in the country, with an index score of 47.5. That’s right: Utah finished ahead of Colorado, Texas, Oregon and Illinois. So if anyone says Utahns are too serious, tell them to take a hike, preferably through Zion.

The Scores & More

The study looked at four comedy-related factors: live comedy shows, comedy venues, notable comedians and Google searches for things like “funny jokes” and “dad jokes,” with each category adjusted for population. Utah has 7.94 comedy shows per 100,000 residents, 1.1 comedy venues per 100,000 people and 2.54 notable comedians per million residents.

More Than Dad Jokes

But perhaps the funniest statistic is how often Utahns are searching online for laughs. Residents generate 2,156 comedy-related Google searches per 100,000 people, one of the strongest numbers in the study. Apparently, we’re not just Googling “how hot is too hot to hike Angels Landing?” We’re also looking for dad jokes.

(Second To) Last Laugh

Utah finished behind only Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, Nevada, and Maine. Nevada landing fourth makes sense. Spend enough time in Las Vegas, and eventually you either laugh or cry. As for Utah, maybe our sense of humor comes from survival. We deal with 110-degree summers, surprise snowstorms, orange construction cones everywhere, and the eternal mystery of why every driver on I-15 suddenly forgets how merging works.

Listen Here: Dr. Jeff Norman, Author of "The Healing Power of Laughter" on Southern U-Talk on KDXU

And in Southern Utah, we know comedy is all about timing, especially when somebody tells you, “It’s only a dry heat.” Hard Rock Bet’s research may not settle every argument about which state is funniest, but Utah can officially crack a smile. Sixth place isn’t bad. And if you disagree? We’ll just chalk it up to a bad yoke at the Great Salt Lake.