When it comes to America’s favorite cured meats, there’s a clear winner emerging from kitchen refrigerators nationwide. New CivicScience polling reveals pepperoni dominates the salami-versus-pepperoni debate, earning 65% of the vote compared to salami’s 35% among those who made a choice between January 2023 and July 2025.
The age patterns reveal some interesting trends in American tastes. Younger adults ages 18-29 come closest to an even split at 61% pepperoni versus 39% salami. This gap widens considerably among middle-aged groups, where pepperoni reaches 68% for both 30-44 and 45-64 year-olds. But there’s a notable shift among seniors 65+, where salami rebounds to its strongest showing at 47%—perhaps reflecting more traditional deli preferences or different flavor priorities.
Geography also plays a role in shaping these preferences. The Northeast and West Coast show the most balanced tastes, with salami earning 46% and 48% respectively—likely influenced by stronger Italian-American food traditions and more varied culinary scenes. The South demonstrates the most pronounced pepperoni preference at 68%, while the Midwest falls in the middle at 61%.
What do you think? Take the poll: Which is better: salami or pepperoni?
The data reveals additional connections between meat preference and daily habits:
Pizza consumption: Salami fans are more frequent pizza consumers, with 13% ordering pizza weekly or more compared to just 8% of pepperoni lovers. This suggests their appreciation for cured meats extends beyond the deli counter to regular pizza indulgence.
Sandwich bread preferences: The two camps show distinctly different sandwich styles—pepperoni enthusiasts gravitate toward classic grocery store white bread (29% vs 15% for salami fans), while salami lovers show more diverse tastes, favoring artisanal options like rye/marble rye (17% vs 10%) and kaiser rolls (14% vs 10%).
Financial habits: Money management shows an interesting divide—pepperoni fans are more likely to struggle financially, with 12% saying they manage money badly compared to just 8% of salami enthusiasts.
What appears to be a simple refrigerator choice actually connects to broader patterns of regional culture, generational influence, and personal lifestyle. While pepperoni dominates American preferences, the geographic and demographic variations suggest our food choices remain tied to heritage, habits, and individual character in ways that extend well beyond the sandwich.
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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.