Information • NN003
Video Games in the US
Geographic Breakdown
William Curtis
Published: November 2024
2024 IBISWorld. All Rights Reserved
www.ibisworld.com
Information • NN003
Video Games in the US
Geographic Breakdown
Key Takeaways
Video game companies are very fragmented in terms of specialization and geographic location. Retailers will follow the
population and set up locations in dense areas.
Larger game development and software companies need a supply of highly qualified employees. The West is ultimately a
sought-after region because of its tech capital.
Business Locations
Revenue
Revenue
Wages
Wages
Employment
Employment
$m
%
$m
%
Units
%
California
32,620.3
30.5
5,878.9
33.1
71,738
26.7
Washington
21,956.2
20.6
3,350.2
18.9
33,642
12.5
Texas
5,551.8
5.2
877.3
4.9
17,772
6.6
Massachusetts
7,174.7
6.7
1,095.7
6.2
17,342
6.5
New York
3,378.4
3.2
600.8
3.4
16,111
6.0
Florida
3,222.5
3.0
542.0
3.1
13,755
5.1
Pennsylvania
3,369.0
3.2
404.4
2.3
6,807
2.5
State
Colorado
1,930.7
1.8
339.2
1.9
9,134
3.4
Utah
2,330.6
2.2
314.3
1.8
9,514
3.5
Illinois
2,932.5
2.7
478.0
2.7
9,474
3.5
Georgia
2,173.4
2.0
447.1
2.5
8,078
3.0
North
Carolina
2,625.3
2.5
438.4
2.5
7,981
3.0
Virginia
2,164.6
2.0
408.1
2.3
7,249
2.7
Oregon
1,154.5
1.1
204.9
1.2
6,895
2.6
Wisconsin
1,504.9
1.4
274.7
1.5
6,306
2.3
Minnesota
1,226.2
1.1
200.7
1.1
4,144
1.5
Ohio
1,067.2
1.0
176.2
1.0
5,657
2.1
Michigan
1,146.1
1.1
230.9
1.3
5,525
2.1
New Jersey
1,212.1
1.1
157.5
0.9
5,546
2.1
Arizona
785.1
0.7
130.5
0.7
5,286
2.0
Nevada
399.1
0.4
53.2
0.3
4,183
1.6
Maryland
975.7
0.9
153.9
0.9
4,083
1.5
Indiana
656.2
0.6
145.9
0.8
2,903
1.1
Tennessee
398.6
0.4
57.6
0.3
4,002
1.5
Missouri
498.3
0.5
77.7
0.4
2,747
1.0
Connecticut
363.0
0.3
52.3
0.3
3,053
1.1
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February 2025
Information • NN003
Video Games in the US
Revenue
Revenue
Wages
Wages
Employment
Employment
State
$m
%
$m
%
Units
%
Idaho
352.0
0.3
100.1
0.6
1,296
0.5
South
Carolina
427.8
0.4
72.9
0.4
2,346
0.9
New
Hampshire
377.7
0.4
64.2
0.4
1,836
0.7
Alabama
249.1
0.2
32.4
0.2
2,538
0.9
Iowa
227.3
0.2
52.5
0.3
1,829
0.7
North Dakota
240.3
0.2
23.0
0.1
586
0.2
Delaware
219.2
0.2
28.4
0.2
1,683
0.6
Nebraska
234.2
0.2
35.3
0.2
1,164
0.4
Kentucky
117.5
0.1
24.3
0.1
1,604
0.6
Kansas
162.8
0.2
26.9
0.2
1,474
0.5
Louisiana
61.2
0.1
11.3
0.1
1,329
0.5
Arkansas
137.8
0.1
23.3
0.1
1,209
0.5
Oklahoma
71.8
0.1
12.5
0.1
1,280
0.5
Rhode Island
137.6
0.1
23.9
0.1
986
0.4
Maine
71.4
0.1
12.8
0.1
1,101
0.4
Montana
97.7
0.1
19.7
0.1
955
0.4
Vermont
70.5
0.1
8.9
0.1
783
0.3
Hawaii
39.1
0.0
2.6
0.0
897
0.3
Wyoming
20.4
0.0
2.6
0.0
877
0.3
New Mexico
39.6
0.0
5.6
0.0
823
0.3
South Dakota
14.7
0.0
4.0
0.0
305
0.1
Mississippi
17.8
0.0
2.6
0.0
293
0.1
West Virginia
7.3
0.0
1.7
0.0
377
0.1
Alaska
6.0
0.0
0.7
0.0
263
0.1
Where are industry businesses located?
The retail segment of Video Games in the US follows the population
to the Southeast
• Touting a large percentage of the US population, retail stores like
GameStop will aim to put their stores around those clusters of
people.
• That is why the Southeast contains a controlling share of
businesses. Florida and Georgian specifically have densely
populated cities and suburbs, perfect for store locations.
The West provides a perfect location for developers
• Developing consoles and video games requires access to a highly
educated, skilled population of workers.
irresistible tech hub for companies like Microsoft and Sony to tap
into.
The Great Lakes region offers more space and cheaper land
• Illinois, Michigan and Ohio carry a large concentration of video
game companies. Giving them the highest concentration out of any
other region.
• Land in these states is much cheaper, so the start-up costs for new
entrants is much lower relative to other US states. These regions
also offer talent from great universities, providing companies with
quality game developers and engineers for a smaller price.
• California in the West region provides the industry with an
2
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Information • NN003
Video Games in the US
West has the largest spread of businesses
compared to its population
Share of Establishments (%) vs. share of population (%)
32%
24%
16%
8.0%
W
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Establishments
Population
Source: IBISWorld
3
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February 2025
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