National Survey Proclaims Chicago As Nation's Cheesiest City

CHICAGO — Move over, Wisconsin, there’s a new dairy sheriff in town — and Chicago’s neighbors to the north are sure to be cheez'ed about the country's new cheddar capital and dairy destination.

A new study conducted by LawnStarter finds that Chicago is 2022’s best city for cheese lovers, and coincides with National Cheese Lover’s Day, which falls on Thursday. LawnStarter compared more than 180 cities across the country and based its findings on several factors including accessibility of cheese, quality and affordability.

And it turns out, Chicagoans love their cheese — which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the city’s affinity for various styles of pizza, sandwiches and other culinary creations built around the dairy delight.

The study awarded Chicago an overall score of 50.91, which placed the cheese-consuming city atop the leaderboard. The remainder of the Top 5 included Modesto, California, San Francisco, Jersey City and New York City. The top Wisconsin entry landed at No. 7 on the list — Madison — which finished with a score of 35.2.

While finishing first overall, Chicago landed at No. 3 on the list behind Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., with the most farmers markets offering cheese and dairy products. The Second City was the runner-up behind Modesto for the city with the most points in the most recent U.S. Championship Cheese Contest; ranked second in the number of quality cheese available; and fifth in overall cheese availability, the survey found.