Ranking All 32 NFL Fan Bases From Largest To Smallest

Every NFL fan base is loud and proud. Some are considerably louder than others when you parse out the data and look at how large each NFL fan base is and then compare it to how often you hear about those fans.

While there is no concrete way to measure the largest NFL fan bases we will attempt to do so here by using the total number of Instagram, X, and YouTube followers for each NFL franchise.

Ranking The Largest To Smallest NFL Bases For All 32 Teams

The numbers below are interesting. I’ve included additional commentary on the 10 largest NFL fan bases below as well as the smallest two. I think what we see below, to some degree, is a mixture of recent success and historic legacies with more weight being applied to recent success in the age of social media.

1. New England Patriots: 10.1 Million

• Instagram: 5.4 million
• X (Twitter): 4.3 million
• YouTube: 401K

With 10.1 million fans/followers/subscribers across Instagram, X, and YouTube, the New England Patriots currently have the largest NFL fan base of any franchise when it comes to social media. They also have over 2 million followers on TikTok for those keeping track at home.

The New England Patriots are the only NFL franchise with over 10 million combined followers/subscribers across Instagram, X, and YouTube. The Dallas Cowboys still trail by several hundred thousand.

2. Dallas Cowboys: 9.7 Million

• Instagram: 5.1 million
• X (Twitter): 4.1 million
• YouTube: 511K

The second-largest NFL fan base across social media are the Dallas Cowboys with a combined 9.7 million. They rank second in both Instagram and X followers, but have 110K more subscribers than the New England Patriots on YouTube (almost half a million less than the Chiefs). On TikTok, the Cowboys have 2. 9 million followers at the moment.

3. Philadelphia Eagles: 9.5 Million

• Instagram: 4.9 million
• X (Twitter): 3.7 million
• YouTube: 917K

With 9.5 million followers across the ‘Big 3’ we have the Philadelphia Eagles. They trail the second place Dallas Cowboys by just 200K. Like the Patriots, success in recent years have certainly helped bolster the social numbers.

4. Kansas City Chiefs:8.5 Million

• Instagram: 4.4 million
• X (Twitter): 2.6 million
• YouTube: 1.48 million

The Kansas City Chiefs are at #4 with 8.5 million. Kansas City has the most YouTube subscribers of any NFL franchise by a mile with 1.48 million. The next closest are the Eagles with 917K.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7.8 Million

• Instagram: 3.9 million
• X (Twitter): 3.5 million
• YouTube: 363K

Pittsburgh has robust numbers across the board with nearly 4 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million on X, the 4th most of any NFL franchise.

6. San Francisco 49ers: 6.6 Million

• Instagram: 4 million
• X (Twitter): 2.2 million
• YouTube: 445K

San Francisco is one of just 5 NFL franchises with 4 million or more Instagram followers.

7. Seattle Seahawks: 6.3 Million

• Instagram: 3.7 million
• X (Twitter): 2.3 million
• YouTube: 332K

The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks already had strong social numbers coming into the Super Bowl. No doubt they will see a huge boost in followers as well as an influx of bandwagon fans along the way.

8. Green Bay Packers: 5.5 Million

• Instagram: 2.9 million
• X (Twitter): 2.4 million
• YouTube: 235K

Before running the numbers, I would have suspected the Green Bay Packers were top 5. They are one of the oldest and proudest NFL franchise but it is a small market compared to many of the cities that are home to NFL franchises.

9. Carolina Panthers: 5.1 Million

• Instagram: 2.1 million
• X (Twitter): 2.8 million
• YouTube: 173K

The Carolina Panthers are the biggest surprise for me in these rankings. They have 1.1 million more followers/subscribers than any of the other NFC South teams but it’s not as if Charlotte dwarfs the greater Atlanta or New Orleans area in terms of population.

10. New York Giants: 5.0 Million

• Instagram: 2.9 million
• X (Twitter): 1.8 million
• YouTube: 297K

Rounding out the top 10 are the New York Giants. While the Giants might share a stadium with the Jets, based on the social numbers they have twice as many fans as the Jets (who are likely cursed). Anecdotally, after living in NYC for a decade these numbers certainly seem to reflect enthusiasm in the teams.

11. Buffalo Bills: 4.6 Million

• Instagram: 2.5 million
• X (Twitter): 1.8 million
• YouTube: 258K

12. Baltimore Ravens: 4.6 Million

• Instagram: 2.4 million
• X (Twitter): 1.8 million
• YouTube: 353K

13. Las Vegas Raiders: 4.5 Million

• Instagram: 2.4 million
• X (Twitter): 1.8 million
• YouTube: 335K

14. Chicago Bears: 4.5 Million

• Instagram: 2.2 million
• X (Twitter): 2 million
• YouTube: 304K

15. Denver Broncos: 4.4 Million

• Instagram: 1.6 million
• X (Twitter): 2.6 million
• YouTube: 243K

16. Detroit Lions: 4.1 Million

• Instagram: 2.1 million
• X (Twitter): 1.7 million
• YouTube: 329K

17. Houston Texans: 4.1 Million

• Instagram: 2 million
• X (Twitter): 1.9 million
• YouTube: 162K

18. New Orleans Saints: 4.0 Million

• Instagram: 2.2 million
• X (Twitter): 1.6 million
• YouTube: 160K

19. Atlanta Falcons: 3.9 Million

• Instagram: 1.5 million
• X (Twitter): 2.2 million
• YouTube: 233K

20. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.7 Million

• Instagram: 1.9 million
• X (Twitter): 1.6 million
• YouTube: 168K

21. Cleveland Browns: 3.6 Million

• Instagram: 1.6 million
• X (Twitter): 1.6 million
• YouTube: 355K

22. Minnesota Vikings: 3.5 Million

• Instagram: 1.6 million
• X (Twitter): 1.6 million
• YouTube: 411K

23. Los Angeles Rams: 3.5 Million

• Instagram: 1.9 million
• X (Twitter): 1.2 million
• YouTube: 389K

24. Miami Dolphins: 3.4 Million

• Instagram: 2 million
• X (Twitter): 1.2 million
• YouTube: 183K

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3.3 Million

• Instagram: 1.7 million
• X (Twitter): 1.3 million
• YouTube: 271K

26. Washington Commanders: 3.0 Million

• Instagram: 1.4 million
• X (Twitter): 1.3 million
• YouTube: 317K

27. Los Angeles Chargers: 2.7 Million

• Instagram: 1.3 million
• X (Twitter): 1 million
• YouTube: 447K

28. New York Jets: 2.6 Million

• Instagram: 1.2 million
• X (Twitter): 1.2 million
• YouTube: 173K

29. Arizona Cardinals: 2.3 Million

• Instagram: 1.2 million
• X (Twitter): 1 million
• YouTube: 121K

30. Indianapolis Colts: 2.3 Million

• Instagram: 1.1 million
• X (Twitter): 1.1 million
• YouTube: 100K

31. Tennessee Titans: 2.1 Million

• Instagram: 1 million
• X (Twitter): 1 million
• YouTube: 85.6K

With the 31st largest NFL fan base we have the Tennessee Titans who just edge out the 32nd place team due to having more followers on X. They are, however, the only NFL franchise with fewer than 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. It is unclear why Titans fans have zero interest in following their team on YouTube but that seems to be the case.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2.1 Million

• Instagram: 1.1 million
• X (Twitter): 847.2K
• YouTube: 136K

Coming in last place are the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are currently the only NFL franchise who do not have 1 million or more followers on X (formerly Twitter). But at the same time, they have more Instagram followers than the Titans who are one spot ahead of them.