Where Are All The NFL Players From?

Who makes up the top 10 cities for NFL players all-time?

1. Chicago
2. Houston
3. Los Angeles
4. Miami
5. Dallas
6. Detroit
7. Cincinnati
8. Cleveland
9. Pittsburgh
10. New Orleans

In this list above, which covers the entire history of the NFL according to Pro Football Reference we see a lot of traditional blue-collar northern cities and some large southern cities. How does that differ from what we see today?

Who makes up the top 10 cities for active NFL players?

1. Miami
2. Houston
3. Fort Lauderdale
4. Tampa
5. Cincinnati
6. New Orleans
7. Fork Union, VA
8. Charlotte
9. Philadelphia
10. Baltimore & Cleveland (tie)

In the list of active players we see that the cities got a lot warmer and sun belt focused. Also we see the presence of Fork Union, VA where a military academy and football factory of sorts lives. Most of these players aren't from Fork Union, VA, but re-located there specifically for the school and chance to play D-1 football. This is something we're seeing with newer schools such as IMG Academy in Florida. The appearances of Fort Lauderdale and Tampa are intriguing additions as the talent is no longer just in the tip of South Florida. Chicago, who is #1 all-time doesn't even make the current top 10. Wow! 

What about at the state level?

Throughout the history of the NFL you've seen a certain hierarchy of players coming from California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and a few others. As rust belt cities have shuttered, people have retired to the south and jobs as a whole have moved below the Mason-Dixon line you've seen a shift in the concentration of NFL players. 

and for active NFL players?

With current players you've seen Florida strengthen and the emergence of Georgia and Alabama make its way to the stage. This is great news both from a recruiting and development standpoint for the universities in those states. Not only do you have a multitude of players to choose from in your backyard, but you also can boast that you have a lineage of NFL talent and point to recent examples. 

If you want to play around with the Tableau Public chart feel free. The chart that I think will interest you the most will be the last page which shows what are the top HS's for producing NFL talent in each state. I eliminated any school that has any less than 7 players from the model to keep it to a cleaner look.