Study shows New Jersey prefers a surprising Star Wars character over the rest of the country

One of the biggest pop culture phenomena was born with the first Star Wars movie in 1977. Today, the film that was later rebranded Episode 4: A New Hope, changed the world of cinema, opening the doors for numerous actors, directors, and future Science Fiction Projects.

Over the last 15 years, one of the biggest unofficial holidays on the calendar is Star Wars Day. Ever since a London Newspaper coined the phrase "May the Fourth Be With You", fans of the movie franchise have been celebrating Star Wars Day on May 4th.

The research team at ACE.com gathered data to find out what are the most popular Star Wars characters in each state. Overall, they found six characters from the movies and tv shows that are the most popular in 2026.

New Jersey's Favorite Star Wars Character Is Not Who You Might Expect

ACE.com, the free-to-play social gaming website, gathered information from Google Analytics and Google Search data to learn who are the most popular character is from each state with some surprising results.

While the legendary villain, Darth Vader, is the most popular Star Wars character nationally, New Jersey's favorite is a character who made his debut just seven years ago. Grogu, also known as "Baby Yoda", debuted on The Mandalorian Disney+ show first season in 2019.

Researchers have found that Grogu is one of the most popular Star Wars characters in the United States in 2026, ranked in the top three of most states. Convenient because the adopted child of The Mandalorian will be one of the main protagonists of the first Star Wars movie to debut in theaters in seven years. The Mandalorian and Grogu will premiere in movie theaters on Friday, May 22nd.

The Most Popular Star Wars Characters Ranked by the Number of States Where They Are The Favorite:

1. Darth Vader (13)
2. Yoda (9)
3. Luke Skywalker (7)
4. Obi-Wan Kenobi (6)
5. Anakin Skywalker (6)
6. Grogu (4)
7. Ahsoka Tano (2)

This should be no surprise to anyone that New Jersey's favorite Star Wars character is not the same choice as most other states. NJ's favorite comic book character is also unique, and the fictional characters who are from New Jersey are a motley crew as well: