What Regions Of The US Call It Soda Vs Pop?
The food world is no stranger to heated colloquial debates. Is the beloved bready Thanksgiving side dish "stuffing" or "dressing"? Do you call 'em "pancakes" or "flapjacks"? And is your favorite cold-cut sando a "sub," a "hoagie," or a "hero"? Luckily, these differences are a matter of vernacular — not a matter of principle, like whether or not a hotdog counts as a sandwich. Today, we're sticking to this relatively low-stakes territory and exploring another linguistic gastronomic debate: Are carbonated soft drinks called "soda" or "pop?" The answer depends on where you live.
If you live in Florida, California, near Milwaukee or St. Louis, or the Northeast, chances are you call it soda. If you live in the West or the Midwest, it's probably pop. Beyond soda and pop, there's also a third outlier: "Coke." To many, if not most foodies in the South, all carbonated soft drinks are universally referred to as coke, regardless of brand (yes, even if they're made by PepsiCo) or flavor.
For those who want to view statistics on which term is more popular in certain parts of the U.S., the website Pop vs. Soda provides visitors with a simple prompt asking for the zip code of their hometown and which term they personally use. Hundreds of thousands of responses have been submitted, and the site charts these responses on a map, crafting a visual representation of the regional variations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results speak for themselves, and it's a fairly fizzy divide.
It's pop in the West and Midwest, and soda in the Northeast
American fizzy drink lovers have been curious about this divide for some time. "Soda or Pop?" was the subject of a 1996 article in the Journal of English Linguistics written by Luanne von Schneidemesser, senior editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English. The aforementioned Pop vs. Soda site has been run by cartographer Alan McConchie for over 20 years.
Whatever you call it, chances are you're drinking soda. As of 2024, the average American puts away 154 liters of soda per person each year, according to World Population Review. Per the outlet, roughly 20% of U.S. consumers report enjoying at least one pop every single day.
Regional dialect is largely the product of idiosyncratic speech patterns passed down generationally. If your parent teaches you to tie your "sneakers," then chances are you're never going to call them "tennis shoes." So, a foodie in the West or Midwest would probably ask a group of friends, "Would you guys like a pop?" while a foodie in the South is more likely to ask, "Would y'all like a coke?"
Some foodies use both terms interchangeably, while others are staunchly, exclusively Team Pop or Team Soda. However, for some Southerners traveling to other regions in the U.S., be sure to specify that you would like a Dr Pepper or an Orange Crush. Otherwise, don't be surprised when your request for a "coke" prompts your server to hand you a Coca-Cola without asking any further questions.