Illinois has a slew of well known political figures and entertainers, but a new report has discovered the top five most famous people from each U.S. state.
When you think Illinois, more specifically Chicago, you would probably think our most recognizable person would be former President Barack Obama. However, the survey – conducted by Famous People – only chose people who were actually born in each state. As we know, the 44th president was born in Hawaii, which he did in fact come in as No. 1 for the tropical island state.
Meanwhile Michelle Obama, who was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, took the top spot as the most famous person in Illinois.
The nationwide survey looked at over 3,000 personalities from diverse fields such as actors, political figures, singers, athletes, and authors. The metrics that were taken into account were fame, and how much the person was liked and disliked.
Coming in at No. 2 for Illinois was Hillary Clinton, who was born in Chicago and raised in the suburb of Park Ridge.
The top 5 list rounds out with:
- No. 3 — Betty White, born in Oak Park
- No. 4 — Harrison Ford, born in Chicago
- No. 5 — Mr. T, born in Chicago
Some other notable personalities in their states were Janet Jackson, David Letterman, Mike Pence, Brendan Fraser and Larry Bird ranking in the top 5 for Indiana.
For Wisconsin, Mark Ruffalo, Colin Kaepernick, Paul Ryan, Willem Dafoe and Liz Cheney.
Some other notable mentions were Beyoncé, Matthew McConaughey and Willie Nelson ranking in the top 3 for Texas. Taylor Swift, Will Smith and Bill Cosby ranked in the top 3 for Pennsylvania. Oprah Winfrey and Britney Spears took the top 2 spots in Mississippi.
For a state by state breakdown and to see the full survey, click here.
