Every State’s Favorite Michael Jackson Song

Michael Jackson’s catalog has no shortage of iconic hits. These are the kinds of songs that can soundtrack a road trip, fuel a workout, or instantly turn a living room into a dance floor. But when people want to listen, which track do they search for most, and does it change depending on where you live?

With the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael scheduled to hit theaters on April 24, 2026, we decided to analyze Google Trends data from February 2025 through February 2026 to identify the most searched Michael Jackson song in each U.S. state. The results offer a fun, state-by-state snapshot of what listeners were most curious about recently.

Scroll on to see the map, find your state, and check out which songs dominate entire regions, plus a few surprising one-state standouts.

Quick Takeaways

• “Billie Jean” was the most searched Michael Jackson song overall, ranking No. 1 in 12 states.

• “Smooth Criminal” came in second overall, leading in 8 states.

• In Colorado, the most searched Michael Jackson song was “Billie Jean.”

• Several songs were one-state wonders in our dataset: “You Are Not Alone” (Arizona), “Off The Wall” (Hawaii), “Man in the Mirror” (Nevada), “I Wanna Be Where You Are” (New Jersey), “Rock With You” (North Dakota), and “Dirty Diana” (South Dakota).

The Most Searched Michael Jackson Song in Every State

Michael Jackson has so many classics that it’s hard to pick just one. That’s what makes this map fun. We looked at Google Trends data over the past year to find the single most searched Michael Jackson song in each state and Washington, D.C.

Check out the map below to see which song came out on top where you live.

When you zoom out, a few clear regional patterns pop up. Smooth Criminal takes the lead in both the Midwest and the Northeast, while the South favors P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing). Out West, Billie Jean is the top pick, which tracks for a song that’s basically a universal shorthand for “Michael Jackson.” At the same time, the map still has plenty of personality, with a handful of states landing on a less expected favorite that only shows up once in the results.

The Top Searched Michael Jackson Songs Overall

Some songs showed up as the top search result again and again across the country. Here are the six Michael Jackson tracks that were most frequently No. 1 at the state level in our study.

• Billie Jean: Most searched in 12 states

• Smooth Criminal: 8 states

• P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing): 5 states

• Thriller: 4 states

• Beat It: 3 states

• In the Closet: 3 states

It makes sense that Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal rise to the top, since they are two of those instantly recognizable Michael Jackson songs that people can hear in their head after just a few notes. P.Y.T. showing up in five states is a fun reminder that the upbeat, dance-first tracks still have a huge pull. And while Thriller is the ultimate MJ title for a lot of listeners, it’s interesting to see it rank first in fewer states than you might expect, especially compared to the two clear front-runners.

Colorado Spotlight: Billie Jean

Colorado’s most searched Michael Jackson song in our study was “Billie Jean.” It’s also the top song in the West overall, so Colorado is very much in step with the bigger regional trend. There’s a reason it keeps coming up, too. That bassline is instantly recognizable, the groove is tight, and it’s one of those tracks people search when they want the “classic Michael” experience fast.

Colorado also has a real Michael Jackson connection. In 1984, Michael Jackson and his brothers brought the Victory Tour to Denver’s Mile High Stadium for two shows, and Denver was notably the only tour stop between Kansas City and Los Angeles.

Fun fact: Michael Jackson’s music is still a major live draw in Colorado today. The Broadway musical “MJ” is scheduled to return to Denver’s Buell Theatre in May 2026, bringing the choreography and big-stage energy back to the area in a new form.

Closing Thoughts

Michael Jackson’s biggest hits are everywhere, but this Google Trends snapshot shows that different parts of the country still gravitate toward different go-to tracks.

Billie Jean leads overall, Smooth Criminal dominates much of the Midwest and Northeast, the South leans toward P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), and the West stays locked in on Billie Jean.

If this study put a song in your head, why not learn it on your instrument? Mountainside Music Academy comes to you, with voice lessons in Boulder to help you break down Michael Jackson’s songs into clear, playable steps so you can build confidence and have fun as you improve. If you’re ready to get your favorite MJ song down before the biopic Michael releases late this coming April, visit our contact page to get started.

Methodology

To identify the most searched Michael Jackson song in each state, we used Google Trends and compared search interest for a set of Michael Jackson song titles over the last 12 months (February 2025 to February 2026). Song keywords were selected using Billboard’s list of Michael Jackson’s top songs. We then compared the relative search interest for each song within every state (and Washington, D.C.) to determine which song ranked No. 1 in each location, and we tallied those state-level winners to identify the most popular songs overall.

Fair Use

You are welcome to use, reference, and share non-commercial excerpts of this study with proper attribution. If you cite or cover our findings, please link back to this page so readers can view the full methodology, charts, and context.