America's 5 'Superlative States' With The Most Guinness World Records

Recently celebrating its 70th anniversary, Guinness World Records (formerly known as the Guinness Book of Records) has been documenting record-breaking achievements since 1955. When the first book was published, New York City's Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world, Jackie Gleason was the highest-earning TV star, and the highest-grossing movie of all time was "Gone with the Wind." 

Of course, things have evolved in the last seven decades. With the exception of "Gone with the Wind" still holding the title for the highest-grossing movie of all time (adjusted for inflation), world records are constantly being surpassed, and — thanks to Guinness World Records (GWR) — documented.

Times and statistics may change, but one thing remains the same. Whether it's owning the world's largest collection of "Titanic" on VHS, or completing the most pogo stick jumps in a single minute, Americans love to break records. In honor of its milestone anniversary, GWR published a special introduction revealing the number of world records held in each of America's "superlative states." So, which states hold the record for breaking the most records? From the most expensive guitar sold at auction in California, to the city with the most millionaires and billionaires in New York, these five states have the most Guinness World Records to their name (and counting).

Florida is no stranger to wacky news stories, so it comes as no surprise that the Sunshine State is home to a bevy of bizarre record holders. Totaling 255 GWR holders, some of Florida's accolades include the first pay-per-view pillow fight. Fittingly set in Miami, one of America's best cities for thriving nightlife, The Pillow Fight Championship took place on January 29, 2022, and featured 24 professional fighters duking it out with pillows while being live-streamed on Fite TV.

In 2018, on National Seashell Day (aka the first day of summer), 1,093 people flocked to Fort Myers Beach to form the largest human image of a seashell to celebrate and promote the area as the "seashell capital of the world." That same year, a gathering of 1,139 people in Kissimmee set the record for the largest gathering of people dressed as scientists. In yet another quirky assemblage, the largest gathering of people dressed as Ninja Turtles was achieved in 2014 by 1,394 shell-bearing fans at Nickelodeon Suites Resorts in Orlando. 

They certainly don't call it The Sunshine State for nothing. Famed for its award-winning beaches and vibrant downtown, St. Petersburg holds the GWR for the most consecutive sunny days, boasting an undefeated streak of 768 days of eternal sunshine from February 9, 1967, to March 17, 1969. The competition heats up in Tampa, where the record for the most hot dogs eaten in one minute was broken by Miki Sudo, who scarfed down a total of six on October 22, 2022. On the same day, Sudo's husband, Nicholas Whery, broke the record for the most hot dogs eaten in three minutes, clocking in at 12. 

Louisiana is beloved for its Cajun cuisine, beautiful bayous, and the spirited city with unmissable attractions, New Orleans. Coming in hot with 436 record holders, the Pelican State is home to 7.8% of the record holders in the United States. GWR's favorite Louisiana records include the largest grapefruit by circumference. Measuring 28.75 inches, the impressively plump citrus was grown on a 10-year-old tree located in Slidell, Louisiana's charming city with a walkable downtown and stunning scenery. Grown by Douglas and Mary Beth Meyer in 2019, it also holds the record for the world's heaviest grapefruit, weighing a whopping 7 lbs and 14 oz.

In 2025, the baton for the fastest three-legged mile was passed in Baton Rouge. Clocking in at 5 minutes and 34.29 seconds, college track stars Trenton Sandler and Hugh Carlson completed four laps around the Louisiana State University (LSU) track attached at the ankles, narrowly beating the previous record by just four seconds. Also in 2025, a Metairie-based canine named Zoey licked the competition for the longest tongue on a living dog, measuring five inches long.

Up until recently, Bayou State beauty Aevin Dugas had 'the world's largest afro on a living person (female),' measuring 7.3 inches tall and 7.7 inches wide in 2010. Though she happily passed the crown to New Yorker Jessica "Jess" Martinez — whose natural curls measure 11.42 inches tall and 12.2 inches wide — in 2025, ensuring that the 15-year Guinness World Record continues to be an undeniable Louisiana legacy.

Tying with Louisiana at 436 record holders is New York. Filled with Michelin-starred restaurants and history-rich foodie neighborhoods, it isn't any wonder that the Big Apple is home to some of the tastiest world records in the state. A Fourth of July tradition, the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has produced record-breaking eaters like Miki Sudo. In 2024, the eleven-time champion gobbled up 51 hot dogs and 33 buns, and currently holds the world record for most hot dogs devoured by a female in 10 minutes. Sudo also holds the world record for the fastest-time to eat a burrito (31.47 seconds), and the most jelly eaten with a fork in 30 seconds (2.86 lbs) — though the latter two records were not achieved in New York.

New York City is also home to a record-breaking restaurant, Serendipity 3, whose extravagant menu includes the world's most expensive milkshake. The $100 designer dessert is served in a cup encrusted with 3,000 Swarovski crystals. Using luxe ingredients like edible gold dust and Dom Perignon champagne, Serendipity 3 also boasts the world's most expensive fries, which cost an eye-popping $200, and the most expensive grilled cheese sandwich for $214. NYC is home to the most millionaires and billionaires in the world, so it makes sense that the city has such expensive taste. 

Yet, not all of The Empire State's world records are broken in NYC. In honor of Lucille Ball's 100th birthday in 2011, over 900 fans gathered in Jamestown, the self-proclaimed "funniest city" in America. Together, they broke the record for the largest gathering of people dressed like Lucy Ricardo.

Also home to 436 record holders, South Dakota is in a three-way tie with New York and Louisiana for setting the most world records. In 2024, a 16-year-old Native American boy in Rapid City made headlines when he broke the world record for the longest hair on a male teenager. Growing his luscious locks from the tender age of two, his hair measured 5 ft and 3.3 in, beating the previous world record set in India by nearly a foot.

Sioux Falls, one of the Midwest's artsiest cities, is a lucky place for record holders. In 2019, the world record for the most people opening fortune cookies simultaneously was achieved when 339 attendees of the Sioux Falls Young Professionals Network banded together to make history at their annual convention with the theme "Be the Change." Also in Sioux Falls, the world record for the highest combined age of four living siblings was set by Arlowene Overskei, Marcene Scully, Doris Gaudineer, Jewell Beck. All together, the quartet of sisters were 389 years and 197 days old at the time of the record-setting.

Located just outside of Rapid City, Reptile Gardens was dubbed the world's largest reptile zoo in 2018. Home to 225 reptile species, the zoo boasts several GWR-holding animals, including the largest tortoise species (chelonian), the most venomous snake (Australian taipan), and the longest venomous snake (king cobra). Meanwhile, in Spearfish, the competition heated up quickly in 1947 when the temperature jumped from -4°F to 45℉ in just two minutes, setting the record for the fastest temperature rise. 

Coming in at number one, California is home to a whopping 615 record holders. Accounting for 10.9% of the record holders in the United States, the gold-star Golden State boasts an array of Guinness World Records, ranging from entertainment industry triumphs to athletic achievements. Among GWR's personal favorites is the guitar-smashing record set by Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles. In 2020, a 1959 Martin D-18E guitar played by Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged in 1993 (just a year before the grunge star's tragic death) sold at auction for $6,010,000. Another favorite on GWR's list is the hair-raising record set by Anaheim teen Amir Manuel Mendez, who took the crown for the world's largest afro on a living person (male) in 2022, locking in at 7.74 inches high and 9.77 inches wide after four years of growing it out.

Home to the undisputed movie mecca, Los Angeles, it comes as no surprise that California features several film-related records. On July 3, 2025, Walt Disney Animation Studios in the "Media Capital of the World," Burbank, claimed the title for most prolific animation studio after the release of "Moana 2." Churning out animated classics since "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" in 1937, the studio has released an impressive 63 feature films, narrowly beating DreamWorks Animation's resume of 50 feature films. In Hollywood, another entertainment record belongs to composer John Williams, whose famous film scores have racked up a colossal 54 Oscar nominations over the years, the most nominations of any living person. Beyond its silver screen accolades, California's world records also include the largest collection of Polly Pocket items (534 as of February 2025), and the most hula hoop rotations around the neck in 30 seconds (128 as of March 2025).

In order to bring you this list, we first referenced this Guinness World Records round-up, which gives a statistical breakdown of the number of record holders in each 'superlative state.' After determining the top 5 record-breaking states, we arranged them in descending order, starting with Florida, a three-way tie of record-breaking states in the middle, and then California at the bottom.

With a hefty number of records to sift through, we researched the Guinness World Records set in each state. In addition to highlighting GWR's personal favorites, we picked out the records that were particularly impressive, quirky, and relevant to the state's identity. For example, California is known for its entertainment industry, so several of the records mentioned are related to that aspect.

Since world records are being broken regularly, we made a point to verify the status of each one before including it on the list. At the time of this writing, all the world records included are up-to-date. However, each one is fair game if you feel like breaking a few of your own.