Aug 9, 2023 - News

By the numbers: How much Ohio State Fairgoers ate

Illustration of a corn dog laid over an exclamation point — Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

More than 1 million people attended this year's Ohio State Fair, which wrapped up Sunday.

Why it matters: That's a 16.7% increase over 2022, leading to boosted revenue for midway games and rides (36.2%) and food and beverage vendors (18.4%), organizers say.

Of note: This past Saturday broke a single-day attendance record, with 119,660 visitors, forcing admission gates to close early.

The previous record was 115,288, set July 28, 2013.

By the numbers: Guests spent $3.2 million on the midway and $8.2 million on concessions.

That includes: 36,733 corn dogs/pronto pups, 27,759 hot dogs and 25,284 ears of corn.
For dessert: 46,818 scoops of Velvet ice cream, 22,986 funnel cakes and 9,678 Schmidt's cream puffs.
😬 Sorry, dentists! Or … you're welcome?

The intrigue: The Ohio Poultry Association's most popular deviled egg was maple bacon jalapeño, with 2,100 sold. The new cotton candy flavor hit a respectable 1,300.

We hope to taste test them all next year for good measure.

🗓️ What's next: Mark your calendars for July 24-Aug. 4, 2024!

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By the numbers: How much Ohio State Fairgoers ate

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