Minnesota Kids Stop Believing in Santa Around Age 9

I remember when I stopped believing in Santa. It wasn't  some kid on the playground telling me about it, or that I overheard an adult conversation. I just realized that every time Santa would come to my grandparents house on Christmas Eve and leave a Fleet Farm bag of presents on the front porch, my uncle always missed it. I explained my reasoning to my parents on the way home, and got confirmation with, "don't tell your little sister". I was 9.

Turns out 9 years old is the average age that Minnesota kids stop believing in Santa Claus. A new study was done by HouseMethod.com to find the average age that kids stop believing in every state across America. They conducted this study based on a survey of 4,580 Americans in mid-November 2019, asking them when they stopped believing in Santa Claus.

Minnesota kids tend to stop believing at age 9, which is just slightly higher than the national average of 8.4 years old. Our neighbors to the south in Iowa stop believing around 9.9 years old which is one of the oldest in the nation. Other neighboring states of South Dakota and Wisconsin stop believing around 7.8 years old.

In addition to the age study, HouseMethod also found out the percentage of people who never believed in Santa. In Minnesota, 6% of the population has never believed, the 11th highest percentage in the nation.

Christmas isn't all about presents and a mysterious man in a suit sneaking in and putting things under a tree. It's about who you have around the tree with you, that is the real reason for the season. As long as kids (and adults) spread joy and love this season, the magic of the holidays is alive and well.