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Study · October 14, 2026 · March–August 2026 · 50 states

Prices and Tariffs: What Americans Search For (2026)

Google searches about tariffs, buying American, dupes, deals, buy now pay later and secondhand, nationally and state by state.

By Laurence Tuchin, founder of Sauron · Next update with the next study run

−83%

Google searches for “tariffs”, March–August 2026 against the same months of 2025 (1,710,000 vs 10,290,000).

Sauron analysis of Google search volumes · March–August 2026 vs March–August 2025 #
−38%
#

searches about buying American. Arkansas searched most per resident (262 searches per 100,000 people, 2.1 times the rate of Wyoming, the next state).

170 → 27,100
#

monthly searches for “cheaper alternative”, July 2025 to August 2026.

Sauron analysis of Google search volumes · Monthly, July 2025 to August 2026

−20%
#

buy now, pay later searches. Georgia searched most per resident (3,374 searches per 100,000 people).

+14%
#

secondhand searches (thrift stores, “secondhand”, “refurbished”). No state clearly leads: Colorado, Oregon and Montana are each within 5% of the state above.

Using these figures

Free to use. A mention of Sauron and a link back is appreciated.

Source: Sauron analysis of Google search volumes, https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends

Laurence Tuchin, founder
press@sauron.so

Writing about your state? We'll send its figures. Email us.

Which state searches most

Tariffs and prices

No state clearly leads: Maine, Michigan and Pennsylvania are each within 5% of the state above.

Fewer Lowest fifth of states 2nd fifth Middle fifth 4th fifth Highest fifth More searches per 100,000 residents DC, not ranked
  1. 1 Maine 629
  2. 2 Michigan 625.2
  3. 3 Pennsylvania 615.4
  4. 4 New Jersey 603.4
  5. 5 Wisconsin 598.9
  6. Searches per 100,000 residents. All 50 states (CSV)

Buying American

Arkansas searched most per resident (262 searches per 100,000 people, 2.1 times the rate of Wyoming, the next state).

Fewer Lowest fifth of states 2nd fifth Middle fifth 4th fifth Highest fifth More searches per 100,000 residents DC, not ranked
  1. 1 Arkansas 262
  2. 2 Wyoming 124
  3. 3 Louisiana 120.6
  4. 4 Alaska 119.4
  5. 5 Montana 117.1
  6. Searches per 100,000 residents. All 50 states (CSV)

Dupes and cheaper swaps

Fewer Lowest fifth of states 2nd fifth Middle fifth 4th fifth Highest fifth More searches per 100,000 residents DC, not ranked
  1. 1 Alaska 568.3
  2. 2 New York 250.1
  3. 3 California 226.7
  4. 4 Virginia 225.6
  5. 5 New Jersey 216.9
  6. Searches per 100,000 residents. All 50 states (CSV)

Buy now, pay later

Georgia searched most per resident (3,374 searches per 100,000 people).

Fewer Lowest fifth of states 2nd fifth Middle fifth 4th fifth Highest fifth More searches per 100,000 residents DC, not ranked
  1. 1 Georgia 3,374.4
  2. 2 Alabama 2,842.2
  3. 3 North Carolina 2,803.2
  4. 4 Mississippi 2,750
  5. 5 Maryland 2,729.3
  6. Searches per 100,000 residents. All 50 states (CSV)

Secondhand

No state clearly leads: Colorado, Oregon and Montana are each within 5% of the state above.

Fewer Lowest fifth of states 2nd fifth Middle fifth 4th fifth Highest fifth More searches per 100,000 residents DC, not ranked
  1. 1 Colorado 13,277.5
  2. 2 Oregon 12,929.7
  3. 3 Montana 12,840.1
  4. 4 Idaho 12,155.3
  5. 5 North Carolina 12,102.4
  6. Searches per 100,000 residents. All 50 states (CSV)

Shades are fifths of the 50 states for that theme: the darkest are its top 10. Each theme has its own scale, so compare shades within one map, not across maps. Coupons and deal tracking has no map: most of its top states carry a sudden one-month jump.

Source: Sauron analysis of Google Ads search volume data (monthly Google searches, US) and US Census Bureau population estimates (July 1, 2025).
Show the numbers
StateTariffsBuying AmericanDupesPay laterSecondhand
AL418951542,84211,687
AK3951195681,0349,610
AZ5551051842,0757,498
AR4562621602,3396,278
CA4441052272,0358,583
CO5081131641,73213,278
CT467971762,0965,726
DE564921642,29511,146
DC1,3932154664,20516,611
FL4971022062,46510,956
GA5871012113,3748,366
HI467821791,0578,037
ID4921041231,19812,155
IL5461132022,2787,930
IN498931372,0095,506
IA5681021261,3686,921
KS4991051511,6308,023
KY467971362,0645,369
LA3821211712,6636,346
ME629951411,4859,747
MD494822052,7298,867
MA487901861,7828,296
MI625901591,8089,008
MN5421021581,26411,884
MS385851322,7505,428
MO5251101461,9019,697
MT5681171111,05412,840
NE5021081381,3156,941
NV5471082002,6047,548
NH598931271,36110,646
NJ603832172,1077,604
NM495921281,9237,774
NY575992502,5948,432
NC553991932,80312,102
ND4841051181,3659,515
OH528921462,1147,924
OK4221141481,8997,573
OR589971661,50612,930
PA615901562,0849,699
RI4951051691,8867,125
SC479921682,6059,567
SD4731011101,1156,533
TN4501001822,3429,128
TX4621162072,7137,891
UT375961471,3288,819
VT4951041241,29111,574
VA546992262,43510,973
WA5901061731,49211,046
WV435791102,0735,668
WI599951211,3598,973
WY5061241041,2819,692
Download or embed this chart

Download PNG (1600px) Free to use. A link back to this page is appreciated. 

<a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/prices-state-maps.png" alt="Tile maps of the US, one per theme, shading states by searches per 100,000 residents. Highest per resident: tariffs and prices: Maine and Michigan; buying american: Arkansas; dupes and cheaper swaps: Alaska; buy now, pay later: Georgia; secondhand: Colorado and Oregon." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends">Sauron Research</a></p>

Searches for “tariffs”, month by month

Searches peaked at 5,000,000 in April 2025, spiked again to 1,000,000 in March 2026, and were 165,000 in August 2026.

Monthly Google searches for “tariffs”, US

September 2024 to August 2026. The two periods the study compares are marked.

March–August 2025March–August 2026Other months02M4M6M5,000,000Sep 2024Dec 2024Mar 2025Jun 2025Sep 2025Dec 2025Mar 2026Aug 2026
March–August 2025March–August 2026Other months02M4M6M5,000,000Sep 2024Mar 2025Sep 2025Mar 2026Aug 2026
Source: Sauron analysis of Google Ads search volume data (monthly Google searches, US).
Show the numbers
MonthSearchesPeriod
September 2024165,000
October 2024246,000
November 2024823,000
December 2024201,000
January 2025673,000
February 20251,830,000
March 20252,240,000March–August 2025
April 20255,000,000March–August 2025
May 20251,500,000March–August 2025
June 2025450,000March–August 2025
July 2025550,000March–August 2025
August 2025550,000March–August 2025
September 2025450,000
October 2025450,000
November 2025450,000
December 2025301,000
January 2026301,000
February 2026823,000
March 20261,000,000March–August 2026
April 2026165,000March–August 2026
May 2026135,000March–August 2026
June 2026135,000March–August 2026
July 2026110,000March–August 2026
August 2026165,000March–August 2026
Download or embed this chart

Download PNG (1600px) Free to use. A link back to this page is appreciated. 

<a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/tariffs-monthly-searches.png" alt="Monthly US Google searches for “tariffs” from September 2024 to August 2026: peak of 5,000,000 in April 2025, 165,000 in August 2026. March–August 2026 (cobalt) is compared with March–August 2025 (black)." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends">Sauron Research</a></p>

Over the months we compare (March–August 2026), searches were down 83% on the same months of 2025.

Every theme, nationally

Searches about tariffs fell furthest, down 83%. Secondhand searches were up 14%.

Change in US Google searches by theme

March–August 2026 vs March–August 2025

Coupons and deal tracking+408.9%Dupes and cheaper swaps+45.1%Secondhand+13.6%Buy now, pay later-19.5%Buying American-38.1%Tariffs and prices-83.3%
Coupons and deal tracking+408.9%Dupes and cheaper swaps+45.1%Secondhand+13.6%Buy now, pay later-19.5%Buying American-38.1%Tariffs and prices-83.3%
Bars over +100% are cut short; the label gives the real value. Source: Sauron analysis of Google Ads search volume data (monthly Google searches, US).
Show the numbers
ItemChange
Coupons and deal tracking+408.9%
Dupes and cheaper swaps+45.1%
Secondhand+13.6%
Buy now, pay later-19.5%
Buying American-38.1%
Tariffs and prices-83.3%
Download or embed this chart

Download PNG (1600px) Free to use. A link back to this page is appreciated. 

<a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/prices-themes-change.png" alt="Bar chart of the change in searches per theme, March–August 2026 against a year earlier. Down: Buy now, pay later -19.5%, Buying American -38.1%, Tariffs and prices -83.3%. Secondhand +13.6%. Coupons and dupes rose." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends">Sauron Research</a></p>

We grouped 19 searches into six themes and compared March–August 2026 with the same months of 2025.

Show the table
Theme Searches, March–August 2026 March–August 2025 Change
Tariffs and prices tariffs, tariff prices, will prices go up, price increase 1,729,900 10,342,290 -83.3%
Buying American made in usa, made in usa products, american made, buy american 360,760 582,600 -38.1%
Dupes and cheaper swaps dupe, cheaper alternative 645,500 444,960 +45.1%
Coupons and deal tracking coupon codes, discount code, price tracker 1,390,700 273,300 +408.9%
Buy now, pay later buy now pay later, afterpay, klarna 7,741,500 9,613,500 -19.5%
Secondhand secondhand, thrift store near me, refurbished 30,504,200 26,844,700 +13.6%

US, March–August 2026, compared with the same months a year earlier. Each theme adds up the searches listed under it.

What this means for small stores

Searches like these sit on top of a bigger shift: more of US retail spending moves online every year (see our US ecommerce statistics). When shoppers search for a cheaper alternative, a dupe or something made in the USA, the stores that show up are the ones whose pages use those words. Sauron builds those collection pages for Shopify stores from search data like this.

More from this study

Tariffs and prices: states
Rank State Searches per 100,000 Searches, March–August 2026 Population
1 Maine 629 8,900 1,414,874
2 Michigan 625.2 63,320 10,127,884
3 Pennsylvania 615.4 80,370 13,059,432
4 New Jersey 603.4 57,610 9,548,215
5 Wisconsin 598.9 35,770 5,972,787
6 New Hampshire 598.4 8,470 1,415,342
7 Washington 590.2 47,220 8,001,020
8 Oregon 588.5 25,150 4,273,586
9 Georgia 586.8 66,330 11,302,748
10 New York 575.2 115,060 20,002,427

Top 10 of 50 states, ranked by searches per 100,000 residents. District of Columbia: 1,392.6 per 100,000, not ranked, because commuters and visitors inflate its per-resident rate.

Buying American

Searches for “american made”, “made in usa”, “made in usa products” and “buy american” together were down 38%. Not every search moved the same way: “made in usa” was up 39%, while “made in usa products” was down 79%. Arkansas searched most per resident (262 searches per 100,000 people, 2.1 times the rate of Wyoming, the next state).

Rank State Searches per 100,000 Searches, March–August 2026 Population
1 Arkansas 262 8,160 3,114,791
2 Wyoming 124 730 588,753
3 Louisiana 120.6 5,570 4,618,189
4 Alaska 119.4 880 737,270
5 Montana 117.1 1,340 1,144,694
6 Texas 116.2 36,860 31,709,821
7 Oklahoma 113.7 4,690 4,123,288
8 Colorado 113.4 6,820 6,012,561
9 Illinois 113.1 14,380 12,719,141
10 Missouri 110.2 6,910 6,270,541

Top 10 of 50 states, ranked by searches per 100,000 residents. District of Columbia: 214.8 per 100,000, not ranked, because commuters and visitors inflate its per-resident rate.

Dupes and cheaper swaps

Searches for “dupe” were up 31% (Google counts “dupes” as the same search, so we count it once).

“Cheaper alternative” is small but climbing: 170 searches a month in July 2025, 27,100 in August 2026.

Monthly Google searches for “cheaper alternative”, US

September 2024 to August 2026

010K20K30KSep 2024Jan 2025May 2025Sep 2025Jan 2026Aug 202617027,100
010K20K30KSep 2024May 2025Aug 202617027,100
Source: Sauron analysis of Google Ads search volume data (monthly Google searches, US).
Show the numbers
PeriodSearches
Sep 2024110
Oct 2024140
Nov 20241,300
Dec 2024880
Jan 2025210
Feb 2025140
Mar 2025170
Apr 2025140
May 2025170
Jun 2025140
Jul 2025170
Aug 2025170
Sep 2025210
Oct 2025260
Nov 2025260
Dec 2025480
Jan 2026720
Feb 20261,300
Mar 20261,900
Apr 20262,900
May 20263,600
Jun 20269,900
Jul 202618,100
Aug 202627,100
Download or embed this chart

Download PNG (1600px) Free to use. A link back to this page is appreciated. 

<a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/cheaper-alternative-monthly-searches.png" alt="US Google searches for “cheaper alternative” stayed near 170 a month until late 2025, then climbed every month to 27,100 in August 2026." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends">Sauron Research</a></p>
Dupes and cheaper swaps: states
Rank State Searches per 100,000 Searches, March–August 2026 Population
1 Alaska 568.3 4,190 737,270
2 New York 250.1 50,030 20,002,427
3 California 226.7 89,220 39,355,309
4 Virginia 225.6 20,030 8,880,107
5 New Jersey 216.9 20,710 9,548,215
6 Georgia 210.7 23,820 11,302,748
7 Texas 206.5 65,490 31,709,821
8 Florida 205.6 48,250 23,462,518
9 Maryland 204.9 12,840 6,265,347
10 Illinois 201.7 25,650 12,719,141

Top 10 of 50 states, ranked by searches per 100,000 residents. District of Columbia: 465.7 per 100,000, not ranked, because commuters and visitors inflate its per-resident rate.

Coupons and deal tracking

Searches for “coupon codes”, “discount code” and “price tracker” added up to 1,390,700 in March–August 2026. Most of that is “coupon codes”, which went from 90,500 searches in April 2026 to 550,000 in May.

Buy now, pay later

Searches for “buy now pay later”, Afterpay and Klarna together were down 20% (Klarna down 21%, Afterpay down 18%). Georgia searched most per resident (3,374 searches per 100,000 people).

Rank State Searches per 100,000 Searches, March–August 2026 Population
1 Georgia 3,374.4 381,400 11,302,748
2 Alabama 2,842.2 147,600 5,193,088
3 North Carolina 2,803.2 313,900 11,197,968
4 Mississippi 2,750 81,240 2,954,160
5 Maryland 2,729.3 171,000 6,265,347
6 Texas 2,713.4 860,400 31,709,821
7 Louisiana 2,663.4 123,000 4,618,189
8 South Carolina 2,604.9 145,100 5,570,274
9 Nevada 2,604.4 85,480 3,282,188
10 New York 2,593.7 518,800 20,002,427

Top 10 of 50 states, ranked by searches per 100,000 residents. District of Columbia: 4,205.3 per 100,000, not ranked, because commuters and visitors inflate its per-resident rate.

Secondhand

Searches for “thrift store near me”, “secondhand” and “refurbished” together were up 14%. “Thrift store near me” alone is most of this theme, and of the whole study. No state clearly leads: Colorado, Oregon and Montana are each within 5% of the state above.

Rank State Searches per 100,000 Searches, March–August 2026 Population
1 Colorado 13,277.5 798,320 6,012,561
2 Oregon 12,929.7 552,560 4,273,586
3 Montana 12,840.1 146,980 1,144,694
4 Idaho 12,155.3 246,720 2,029,733
5 North Carolina 12,102.4 1,355,220 11,197,968
6 Minnesota 11,884.4 692,910 5,830,405
7 Alabama 11,686.7 606,900 5,193,088
8 Vermont 11,573.5 74,610 644,663
9 Delaware 11,145.8 118,140 1,059,952
10 Washington 11,045.7 883,770 8,001,020

Top 10 of 50 states, ranked by searches per 100,000 residents. District of Columbia: 16,610.8 per 100,000, not ranked, because commuters and visitors inflate its per-resident rate.

Every search in the study
Search Searches, March–August 2026 March–August 2025 Change Peak month
thrift store near me 30,000,000 26,360,000 +13.8% August 2026
klarna 4,038,000 5,115,000 -21.1% December 2025
afterpay 3,300,000 4,038,000 -18.3% December 2025
tariffs 1,710,000 10,290,000 -83.4% April 2025
coupon codes 1,204,600 138,100 +772.3% May 2026
dupe (incl. dupes) 582,000 444,000 +31.1% August 2026
buy now pay later 403,500 460,500 -12.4% November 2024
refurbished 376,500 363,000 +3.7% August 2026
american made 279,000 447,000 -37.6% November 2025
discount code 137,500 68,700 +100.1% August 2026
secondhand 127,700 121,700 +4.9% October 2024
cheaper alternative 63,500 960 +6,514.6% August 2026
made in usa 59,600 43,000 +38.6% August 2026
price tracker 48,600 66,500 -26.9% November 2025
price increase 16,900 31,800 -46.9% April 2025
made in usa products 16,400 76,400 -78.5% April 2025
buy american 5,760 16,200 -64.4% April 2025
will prices go up 1,820 1,190 +52.9% August 2026
tariff prices 1,180 19,300 -93.9% April 2025

US, March–August 2026, compared with the same months a year earlier. Close variants Google counts as the same search are counted once.

How we did it

Monthly Google search volumes for 19 searches in 6 themes, for the US and each state, March–August 2026 against the same months of 2025. States are ranked per 100,000 residents (Census population). Searches show interest, not purchases.

Full method · All searches by state (CSV) · Sources · Questions

Using these figures

Free to use. If you cite these figures, a mention of Sauron and a link back to this page is appreciated.

Suggested credit

Source: Sauron analysis of Google search volumes, https://sauron.so/research/prices-and-tariffs-search-trends

Download the data All searches by state (CSV) Keyword table (CSV) Themes by state (CSV)

Full method
  • Search data: Google Ads search volume data (monthly Google searches, US) for 19 searches in 6 themes, nationally and for each state and DC. Window: March–August 2026, compared with March–August 2025.
  • Close variants: Google counts some searches as one (“dupe” and “dupes”). We count them once.
  • Themes: each theme adds up the searches listed under it. States are ranked per 100,000 residents within each theme.
  • DC: shown but not ranked, because commuters and visitors inflate its per-resident rate.
  • Small numbers: We don't report a percentage change when either period has fewer than 100 searches.
  • Per-capita figures: US Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025.
  • What this shows: These are searches, not purchases or opinions.
  • Full data: CSV downloads in the “Using these figures” box: every search, each theme by state, and all searches added up by state. That last table is mostly “thrift store near me”, so we don't treat it as a finding.

Sources

Questions (3)

Are Americans searching for tariffs more or less in 2026?

Less. Google searches for “tariffs” were down 83% in March–August 2026 on the same months of 2025 (1,710,000 against 10,290,000), according to Sauron's analysis.

Which state searches most for American-made products?

Arkansas searched most per resident (262 searches per 100,000 people, 2.1 times the rate of Wyoming, the next state), in March–August 2026 (Sauron analysis of Google search volumes).

Are searches for buy now, pay later going up?

No. Searches for “buy now pay later”, Afterpay and Klarna together were down 20% in March–August 2026 on the same months of 2025.