These Are The Only 2 States That Don't Have A Popeyes Location

Correction 8/23: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that the The Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility organization raised taxes on larger businesses in the state. Those taxes are put in place by the government of Vermont, and are not associated with VBSR. 

With more than 2,700 restaurants to its name, Popeyes has been serving up Louisiana-inspired cooking to happy customers for over 50 years. Created by Al Copeland in 1972, Popeyes made its mark in America with its variety of chicken dishes and has continued to spread ever since. The chain now has locations in London and is even looking to expand into Spain.

Despite the company's success and plans to go international, there are actually still two states that do not have a Popeyes location: Vermont and Wyoming. It is not because the chain has no interest in these locations. In fact, its website has a map highlighting these areas as available for franchising.

Vermont and Wyoming residents have also expressed an interest in having Popeyes locations open up where they live, but as of 2024, both states do not have their own Louisiana kitchen. They have their own reasons as to why Popeyes has yet to expand into their territories. But for now, Vermont and Wyoming residents will have to resort to making their own fried chicken and curbing their cravings with homemade Cajun food.

Vermont actually has some very specific reasons as to why it lacks any Popeyes locations; in fact, the state is generally lacking when it comes to fast food. In 2022, studies found that Vermont had the lowest number of fast-food restaurants, with about 58 locations per 100,000 people. The Green Mountain State also had the lowest obesity rate of that year, at only 26% of its population. These statistics combined to make Vermont the fourth healthiest state of 2022.

Vermont is low on fast food locations on purpose. There are laws in place in the state that levy a tax on any company or corporation that makes more than $25,000 by taking 8.5% of the profits. Additionally, more than 90% of Vermont businesses qualify as small businesses, per the Small Business Administration's definition. Top that all off with the general preference of the public to shop smaller and more locally and it is easy to see why the state is not primed or ready for a new location of a major chain like Popeyes.

Wyoming's lack of Popeyes is much more straightforward and simple. At one point, Wyoming did have a Popeyes location open in the city of Casper. The exact date of closure or reason why the chain has not returned to Wyoming is not entirely known. Locals attribute the closure to bad store location and low food quality. However, that has not stopped them from hoping that Popeyes will one day make a return to Wyoming.