Here are the regions with the greatest opportunity for true crime podcasts. | Story

True crime is one of the biggest podcast genres, yet many of its audio opportunities remain untapped. Edison Research says 48 million Americans consume true crime content and podcasts, but haven't gotten the two of them to listen to true crime podcasts yet. Now a report from PrivacyJournal identifies the parts of the country most obsessed with true crime.

One of the study's key findings is the prevalence of true crime obsession in northeastern states. “This interest could be influenced by the history, culture and literature of the area, thoughts of events such as the Salem Witch Trials, haunted hotspots such as Lizzie Borden's House and the Hotel Chelsea, and horror authors such as Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft and Stephen King “Says author Kip Copson in the report.

It's the District of Columbia that's most obsessed with true crime overall, with more than twice as many true crime searches per 100,000 residents (8,846.62) than Massachusetts, the state with 4,157.52 searches per 100,000 residents is in second place. They are joined by several other East Coast states that top the study's ranking of states with the highest levels of crime. These include New York (third), Connecticut (seventh) and New Hampshire (tenth).

Georgia – the state with the least interest in true crime – recorded a total of just 2,155.64 searches per 100,000 residents. In fact, five of the bottom eight states in this ranking (suggesting they are the least obsessed with true crime) are in the South: West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia.

For the entire United States, the average number of true crime searches per 100,000 residents is 3,428.98.

Celebrity cases, serial killers, unsolved mysteries

What types of crime are at the top of the list for true crime lovers? High-profile cases, serial killers, unsolved mysteries and mysterious disappearances top the list. “It's also interesting to note that there were patterns in the types of cases that people search for most often, whether they are at the top or bottom of our true crime rankings – cases whose legacies are so dark that “They are forever etched in the nation’s memory,” Copson writes in the report.

Searches related to OJ Simpson consistently rank highest in the “famous murders” and “celebrity deaths” categories. The most wanted serial killers include Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy, Aileen Wuornos and Jack the Ripper. Four states in the Northeast top the rankings when it comes to interest in unsolved mysteries and disappearances, while North Carolina comes in at number two. And the disappearances of Amelia Earhart, Natalie Holloway and Asha Degree drive the most searches in the top states in this category.

Those who consume true crime content spend an average of 3.8 hours per week watching it; However, the average working time of Generation Z was 4.6 hours per week. True crime fans are most likely to do this Watch Netflix (62%) for true crime content, followed by YouTube (42%) and Prime Video (36%). Women are 2.5 times more likely than men to watch true crime to prepare for potential danger.

Fans say they watch a true crime film out of curiosity (73%), followed by entertainment (46%), crime (45%) and storytelling (33%). Half of Americans say they enjoy true crime content; 13% of that number are people who say it is their favorite genre. TV shows are the most common medium for consuming true crime content at 52%, followed by films at 39%.

Edison's Consumer Reports True Crimereleased in September in collaboration with Audiochuck, found that 17% of the population ages 13 and older are primed for true crime podcast content. It found that 22% of true crime fans used podcasts to consume material from the genre last year. In comparison, 68% have seen something on TV, 37% have watched a YouTube video and 29% have seen something on social media. To convert more of these consumers into listeners of true crime podcasts, Gabriel Soto, senior research director at Edison, said their research found that telling stories from a local area had the most appeal. Nearly half (45%) of true crime consumers surveyed said it would make them listen to a podcast.

Check out PrivacyJournal's True Crime Obsession report HERE.