A Visual Capitalist ranking based on Microsoft estimates shows that 31.3 percent of working-age Americans used AI in the first quarter of 2026. Microsoft counts a person as a user when they engage with AI tools for at least 90 minutes per month, and the data covers residents ages 15 to 64.

Washington, D.C. leads the country at 40.3 percent. Maryland follows at 36.3 percent, Utah at 35.7 percent, Texas at 35.3 percent and Virginia at 34.7 percent. New Jersey, Nevada, California and Connecticut complete the top nine, and Georgia ranks 10th at 33.7 percent, ahead of Florida at 33.6 percent and New York at 32.7 percent.

Several Southern states sit below the national average. North Carolina records 30.1 percent, South Carolina 29.1 percent, Tennessee 28.5 percent, Alabama 27.3 percent, Louisiana 26.1 percent, Arkansas 26.0 percent, Kentucky 25.1 percent and Mississippi 22.9 percent. West Virginia has the lowest rate at 20.8 percent.

The widest gap in the data runs between metro and rural counties. Microsoft estimates that 32.9 percent of metro-county residents use AI, compared with 16.2 percent in rural counties. Visual Capitalist attributes the difference to the concentration of technology, finance, consulting, education, government and professional services jobs in large metro areas.

County results can run far above state averages. Williamsburg, Virginia, home to William and Mary, posted the highest adoption rate in the country at 73.2 percent. Visual Capitalist links the high D.C. figure to the region's government, legal, consulting and research workforce, and ties Utah's rank to a younger workforce and a growing technology sector.

Source: Visual Capitalist - https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-which-states-use-ai-the-most/