White Castle by State 2026

What Is White Castle?

When you are driving down the road and need some food fast, you probably think about pulling off to the side of the road for fast food. Depending on where you are located, one of the restaurants you might see is called White Castle. White Castle has almost a cult following, spurred on by its appearance in a handful of movies, in particular, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. White Castle is known for its square burgers that typically have some onions cut into them, and there are people who have driven a long way just to go to White Castle. Unfortunately, not every state has White Castle, but there are some states that have a lot of them.

What States Have White Castle?

In general, White Castle is a restaurant that is found in the Midwest. The vast majority of them are located in states like Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, and Tennessee; however, they can be found in other locations as well. For example, there are a few dozen scattered around the New York City metropolitan area, including New Jersey. There are also a few White Castle locations found out west, including Nevada and Arizona. Finally, there is also a White Castle located in Orlando. Therefore, White Castle has a strong national presence, but much of it is found in the middle of the country.

Which State Has the Most White Castles?

The state that has the most White Castle locations in the country is Illinois. Illinois is estimated to have approximately 46 locations. For comparison, White Castle itself has approximately 250 locations, which means that Illinois alone is responsible for approximately eighteen percent of all White Castle locations.

Outside of that, states like Ohio, New York, and Michigan also have a lot of White Castle locations. Even in Illinois, White Castle has to deal with a tremendous amount of competition, but it has stood up to the task over time. For example, some of the other popular fast food restaurants in Illinois include McDonald’s, which is virtually inextricably tied to Illinois, and Portillo’s, which is a fast food restaurant that can barely be found outside of Illinois itself.

Is White Castle Expanding?

Yes, White Castle is gradually expanding. For example, there are even some White Castle locations that can be found outside of the United States. There are two White Castle locations in Shanghai, China, and they are very popular.

In addition, even though White Castle is not found outside of the states listed above, it doesn’t mean you can’t find its burgers in local grocery stores. For example, even though White Castle does not have any locations in Texas, you are able to purchase famous White Castle Sliders in grocery stores, such as HEB. This might be a sign that White Castle is testing its burgers in local grocery stores to see if it is worth opening an actual fast food restaurant in that specific location. It remains to be seen whether White Castle will expand.