Do you know bagels? Like, really know them? Maybe you think you are a bagel connoisseur, a bagel expert, or even a bagel pro. Even the smartest and most avid bagel fanatics don’t know everything there is to know about bagels, however – which is why we’ve collected some of the most outrageous bagel statistics just for you!
- Bagels are eaten by 61% of adults. Of those, over 50% say fresh bagels are best! Bagels sales keep going up, while other bread sales decline (thanks in part to low carb fad diets sweeping the nation.)
- People eat bagels the most in the mornings, and 77% of the time it’s as a “main dish”, with only a topping and a beverage as accompaniment!
- Bagel eating in the US is concentrated around the Great Lakes and the NJ, NW and PA areas – topped by New Yorkers, Bagels are favored over other bread products!
- Bagels tend to be considered an elite food, being consumed by higher income households and individuals.
- Mini bagels are starting to become the alternative for those seeking a lower calorie diet – people are unwilling to give up their favorite food, so portion control has become key!
- In 2011, over 2,000 people cut their fingers so badly slicing bagels that they had to go to the ER. This makes cutting bagels the most dangerous kitchen related activity – beating out even burns!
- The average number of calories in a full sized, unadorned, plain New Yorker bagel is 240. You can up that caloric number by adding toppings, or reduce it by option for a New Yorker mini bagel!
- Currently, 189 schools offer courses in bagel making. Looking to switch careers? The average salary of a bagel maker is $25,350 a year!
- One famous bagel seller used to leave a delivery of bagels and a wooden box for money (honor system = $1 per bagel) unattended at various establishments. Out of 7,000 boxes a year, he generally loses only one to theft – however, the rate of theft for his bagels is 10%! (Interesting stat – more executives would take a bagel without paying than a low level employee!)
- Finally, the one you’ve all been waiting for – the current holder of the Guinness Book of World Records is Bruegger’s Bagels, who baked an 868 lb. bagel measuring 6 feet across, displayed at the New York State Fair in 2004. (State Fair visitors were able to sample the bagel!)
Have any bagel stats to add?