It’s always a good time for pizza, but this week is especially relevant to those who are fans of the beloved food. Starting on Sunday, January 10, this week is National Pizza Week in the United States. It’s a great time for pizza purveyors to promote their offerings and provide special deals to customers.

According to data specialist BoldData, there are currently over 90,000 pizza restaurants in the country. That’s an increase of 39.2% compared to 2016, when there were just over 65,000 pizza places. In the beginning of 2021, America should’ve reached a milestone of 100,000 pizza restaurants, but with the rise of the coronavirus came the halt of pizza restaurant growth – last year there was only an increase of 581 restaurants.

However, Americans still love their pizza. In a survey conducted by The Harris Poll, the single food that most Americans would want to eat for the rest of their lives is pizza, which 21 percent of survey participants chose as their answer. This beat out steak, tacos, pasta and even hamburgers.

The US is home to the largest number of pizza restaurants worldwide. Italy, where the modern pizza was originally invented, comes in second with just over 42,000 pizzerias. Brazil finishes third, with just over 32,000 pizza places. The US has such a mighty lead in the category that it even has more pizzerias than the top four combined (88,100).

As we head into 2021 and closer to a day when we return to relative normalcy, pizza’s rise will continue throughout the country.