Nice puzzle! I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, but IDAHO is the 4th most common state name to appear in the New York Times crossword with 222 appearances. It follows UTAH (556), OHIO (446), and IOWA (267). MAINE is only 2 behind IDAHO with 220 appearances, so IDAHO's gotta step up its game! Fun Crossword Fact of the Day (FCFOTD): NORTH DAKOTA and SOUTH CAROLINA have still yet to appear in the NYT. Credit xwordinfo.com for the stats.