Cincinnati Bengals fans have never exactly lacked confidence in their own passion. Now they’ve got a fresh set of numbers backing it up.
Nielsen’s inaugural Scarborough NFL Fandom Index, released ahead of the 2026 season, put Cincinnati fourth among 30 NFL markets with an average score of 160. Only Buffalo, at 208, Kansas City at 194, and Green Bay at 172 finished ahead of the Bengals’ market. Philadelphia was fifth at 151.
What makes Cincinnati’s showing stand out is the way it got there. The index measured fandom across eight areas: apparel purchases, event attendance, streaming, social media following, linear television viewership, radio listening, betting intent, and general interest. Cincinnati didn’t run away with any single category, but it kept landing near the top across the board, and that balance carried the market into the upper tier overall.
The Bengals market finished in the top five in five of the eight categories. Cincinnati ranked third in social media following, fourth in general interest, fourth in event attendance, fourth in television viewership, and fifth in radio listening. Nielsen labeled Cincinnati and Philadelphia as "quiet powerhouses" because both markets piled up strong overall scores through depth rather than one overwhelming strength.
That’s what makes this ranking more meaningful than a simple snapshot of TV numbers or ticket sales. The data suggests Bengals fans are showing up in multiple ways - at games, on the radio, online, and in broad measures of interest - instead of being strong in just one lane. With a national average of 100, Cincinnati’s 160 sits well above the league baseline.
The rest of the AFC North held its own, too. Pittsburgh came in sixth with a score of 148, Baltimore was seventh at 144, and Cleveland landed 10th at 134. That gave the division four markets in the top 10, though Cincinnati was clearly the leader of the group.
Nielsen said the AFC North’s strong performance was driven mostly by traditional local engagement, including radio listening, linear television viewing, and live-event attendance. That stood in contrast to larger media markets such as New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, which finished near the bottom. New York was last with a score of 85.
The index won’t end every debate about the league’s most devoted fan base. But it does give Cincinnati a solid new argument heading into 2026: the Bengals have the NFL’s fourth-most avid local market, the top fan base in the AFC North, and one of the most well-rounded support systems in the league.
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