California ranks number 1 in the country for most Olympic medalists and number 10 for medalists per 1 million people, according to data by NoDepositRewards.com.
A total of 45 Olympic medalists came from California, making it number one in the country. California also leads in medalists per capita: It produces a total of 1.15 Olympic medalists per million, that means out of the total population there are around 1.25 medalists per every million people in the state.
Among the Californians is Jalen Green from Fresno, California, who started basketball young.
Other states that top the rankings: in both medalists and medalists per capita Hawaii, Nevada, and Indiana also rank highly.
Smaller states like Vermont and Alaska can outperform larger states in medals per capita.
“California continues to produce top-tier athletes, proving that the state’s investment in sports is yielding impressive results. With a strong showing in medalists per capita and overall medalists, it clearly has the ability to produce Olympic medalists. The Californian culture shows a commitment to sports excellence and young athlete development,” said Stephen Ellis, data analyst.
