NEW YORK — Coke is still the top soda in America. But the runner up spot, long held by Pepsi, now belongs to Dr Pepper. After years of slowly gaining market share , Dr Pepper inched ahead of Pepsi as the number two soda brand in the country in 2023, according to market share data from Beverage Digest, a trade publication.
Coke is the leader by a comfortable margin. Last year, it captured 19.2% of the soda market in the United States by volume, Beverage Digest’s data shows.
Dr Pepper and Pepsi both had 8.3%, with Dr Pepper technically ahead. After that came other brands owned by Coca-Cola: Sprite came in at 8.
1% and Diet Coke at 7.8%. Dr Pepper is now the second-largest soda brand in the country.
While “Dr Pepper has been gaining, [Pepsi] has been declining, and they’re meeting in the middle,” said Duane Stanford, editor of Beverage Digest, in an interview with CNN. Over the years, the peppery soda — with its claimed blend of 23 flavors — has been growing in popularity, leaning into its identity as a spicy alternative to cola and taking advantage of broader trends. Founded in 1885 in Waco, Texas, Dr Pepper preceded both Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
And while the two cola giants battled it out in the 20th century, Dr Pepper established a small but devoted following in the American South. For years a regional favorite, Dr Pepper in the 1970s marketed itself to a national audience as a unique flavor. Over the years, it has gained traction with a national audience.
Today, Dr.
