Best Cities for Christmas

Adam McCann, Financial WriterDec 15, 2021

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Dec 15, 2021

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — or at least it can be, depending on where you celebrate Christmas. That’s because America’s favorite holiday is also one of the most expensive. From decorations and food to gifts and travel, there’s a long list of expenses to check twice and save up for during the year.

In 2021, Americans are projected to spend up to $859 billion over the holidays, the highest amount ever, according to the National Retail Federation. If you don’t have a reasonable holiday budget — or enough self-control — then your Plan B should definitely include celebrating in the cheapest Christmas destinations. Overspending is a common mistake during the Christmas shopping season, and a quarter of consumers are losing sleep worrying about how they will pay for their holiday expenses this year.

But beyond ensuring its affordability, a successful holiday also hinges on a location’s Christmas-friendliness. Typical Christmas activities include shopping, dining out and attending holiday events, so the availability of such options can make all the difference. Many people also are likely to attend church services, considering Christmas is a Christian holiday. The more churches around, the less likely each is to be crowded.

WalletHub considered all of those factors to determine where you’re guaranteed to enjoy a holly jolly Christmas whether you’ve been naughty or nice. More specifically, we compared the 100 biggest U.S. cities based on 32 key indicators of a festive and affordable Christmas, such as traditions, shopping and costs.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Best Places for Christmas

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Traditions & Fun	Observance	Generosity	Shopping	Costs
1	Atlanta, GA	65.95	8	27	5	2	90
2	Orlando, FL	64.70	3	11	68	3	49
3	Las Vegas, NV	63.69	7	59	53	1	20
4	Pittsburgh, PA	62.06	24	3	6	10	69
5	San Francisco, CA	60.52	2	74	4	4	99
6	Seattle, WA	60.25	11	71	1	13	89
7	Los Angeles, CA	59.07	5	92	34	6	58
8	Cincinnati, OH	59.04	19	7	62	11	8
9	New York, NY	58.69	1	95	3	7	100
10	Portland, OR	58.68	12	69	8	9	80
11	Miami, FL	58.06	6	39	56	8	84
12	Chicago, IL	57.56	4	82	20	24	39
13	St. Louis, MO	57.37	27	6	22	17	35
14	Raleigh, NC	54.61	38	33	10	23	13
15	Denver, CO	54.28	9	63	21	14	97
16	Honolulu, HI	53.99	20	17	72	5	85
17	Austin, TX	53.41	18	66	66	19	6
18	Cleveland, OH	52.63	39	9	36	26	15
19	Minneapolis, MN	52.31	14	14	31	50	70
20	San Diego, CA	51.91	10	84	60	12	94
21	Nashville, TN	51.55	23	41	28	36	53
22	Birmingham, AL	50.87	77	1	49	56	28
23	Omaha, NE	50.83	44	16	54	21	21
24	Dallas, TX	50.21	16	67	50	28	41
25	Tulsa, OK	50.13	76	13	43	32	18
26	New Orleans, LA	50.09	13	19	78	31	87
27	Buffalo, NY	50.08	37	2	82	38	22
28	Tampa, FL	50.01	26	35	29	27	75
29	Philadelphia, PA	49.91	15	65	46	25	64
30	Houston, TX	49.60	22	85	80	15	36
31	Wichita, KS	49.37	89	10	73	61	1
32	Indianapolis, IN	49.34	33	68	9	45	45
33	Sacramento, CA	49.18	36	46	33	22	55
34	Baltimore, MD	48.81	42	45	39	52	3
35	Milwaukee, WI	48.62	41	30	45	35	26
36	St. Paul, MN	48.47	52	5	47	33	59
37	Oakland, CA	48.33	32	34	14	62	68
38	Louisville, KY	48.21	45	31	44	18	91
39	Irvine, CA	48.07	29	61	7	53	78
40	Washington, DC	48.02	17	56	2	58	98
41	Tucson, AZ	47.64	49	42	58	39	9
42	Scottsdale, AZ	47.51	75	88	18	20	40
43	Charlotte, NC	46.96	48	49	25	43	48
44	San Antonio, TX	46.82	21	70	84	16	95
45	Madison, WI	46.79	46	55	12	46	37
46	San Jose, CA	46.76	30	80	16	41	73
47	Virginia Beach, VA	46.33	40	62	15	44	43
48	Boston, MA	45.82	31	72	11	59	77
49	Oklahoma City, OK	45.44	81	25	75	47	2
50	Reno, NV	45.37	54	87	57	30	5
51	Anaheim, CA	45.11	25	40	79	49	52
52	Lexington-Fayette, KY	44.63	70	50	67	40	4
53	Colorado Springs, CO	44.57	71	53	23	37	79
54	Durham, NC	44.49	65	26	27	76	27
55	Albuquerque, NM	44.48	61	37	94	29	12
56	Baton Rouge, LA	44.39	83	20	81	48	24
57	Jersey City, NJ	44.27	69	48	13	93	31
58	Columbus, OH	44.24	43	76	51	54	19
59	Fort Worth, TX	43.65	60	52	32	63	50
60	Long Beach, CA	43.58	51	28	65	57	61
61	Plano, TX	43.34	59	73	19	65	23
62	Boise, ID	43.19	66	43	61	34	67
63	Jacksonville, FL	43.17	74	60	38	55	56
64	Newark, NJ	42.98	55	4	48	100	83
65	Phoenix, AZ	42.80	28	94	40	64	44
66	Lincoln, NE	42.50	67	57	30	87	16
67	Norfolk, VA	42.36	68	18	59	83	57
68	Kansas City, MO	42.19	34	22	69	75	92
69	Greensboro, NC	41.75	63	8	95	77	29
70	Chesapeake, VA	41.49	58	44	24	88	65
71	Fresno, CA	41.37	85	23	87	69	10
72	Memphis, TN	41.34	84	24	63	66	62
73	Santa Ana, CA	41.28	35	64	76	80	30
74	Fort Wayne, IN	41.13	93	21	70	68	42
75	Chandler, AZ	40.88	82	97	35	42	7
76	Fremont, CA	40.67	72	90	17	51	82
77	Toledo, OH	40.07	95	12	71	94	54
78	Anchorage, AK	39.34	56	79	41	67	81
79	St. Petersburg, FL	39.14	50	58	52	79	88
80	El Paso, TX	39.08	79	38	88	74	32
81	Bakersfield, CA	38.91	92	15	99	72	14
82	Mesa, AZ	38.44	94	83	37	60	33
83	Gilbert, AZ	38.06	80	96	26	90	11
84	Arlington, TX	37.10	57	78	74	85	60
85	Riverside, CA	37.05	73	36	91	78	74
86	Lubbock, TX	36.83	99	32	90	84	46
87	Winston-Salem, NC	36.61	90	29	86	86	72
88	Detroit, MI	36.44	53	51	93	82	76
89	Stockton, CA	36.27	64	54	89	81	86
90	Aurora, CO	36.16	86	86	64	73	34
91	Glendale, AZ	36.16	78	91	77	70	25
92	Corpus Christi, TX	35.96	88	47	100	89	17
93	Irving, TX	35.75	96	77	42	96	38
94	Garland, TX	35.72	91	75	55	97	66
95	Chula Vista, CA	32.74	87	93	83	91	47
96	Laredo, TX	30.54	62	89	98	92	71
97	Henderson, NV	30.25	97	100	85	71	51
98	Hialeah, FL	28.80	47	99	92	95	96
99	San Bernardino, CA	28.53	100	81	96	99	93
100	North Las Vegas, NV	25.31	98	98	97	98	63

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

artwork 2021 best worst cities to celebrate christmas

Ask the Experts

Many people feel pressured to spend during the holidays, which can lead to overspending. To help consumers avoid ending the year with an empty wallet and stay safe during their travels, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips do you have for celebrating Christmas on a budget?
What are some of the big money wasters on Christmas?
95% of Americans are planning to celebrate Christmas this year and a quarter of them are still taking precautions. What are some key points to keep in mind for celebrating safely, without losing holiday cheer?
What money-saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for the Christmas holiday?
With increasing vaccination rates, is it safer to travel this holiday season?

Ask the Experts

Greg Bonner
Ph.D. – Associate Professor Emeritus, Marketing & Business Law – Villanova University
Read More

Christopher T. Sneed
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor and Consumer Economics Specialist – The University of Tennessee Extension (UT Extension)
Read More

Sarah E. Mittal
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Marketing, Bill Munday School of Business – St. Edward’s University
Read More

Amanda H. Christensen
AFC – Extension Associate Professor, County Director; Empowering Financial Wellness Program; Utah Money Moms – Utah State University Extension | Morgan County
Read More

Sheri Lokken Worthy
Samuel A. and Sharon Y. Nickols Professor, Interim Dean, College of Family and Consumer Sciences – University of Georgia
Read More

Amber Carpenter
Instructor, Hospitality Management – Oregon State University – Cascades
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best places to celebrate Christmas, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across five key dimensions: 1) Traditions & Fun, 2) Observance, 3) Generosity, 4) Shopping and 5) Costs.

We evaluated those dimensions using 32 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for celebrating Christmas.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the city proper in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Traditions & Fun - Total Points: 20

Ranking on Top 25 Destinations for Christmas: Double Weight (~2.67 Points)
Note: This metric is based on advance hotel reservations made on priceline.com and measures the ranking of the city among the top 25 Christmas destinations.
Christmas Events per Capita*: Double Weight (~2.67 Points)
Note: “Events” include festivals, performances and galas.
Google Search Interest for ‘Christmas Celebration’: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Note: This metric measures the real intent of the population to find information about the following search terms: “Christmas party”, “Christmas light show”, “Christmas market”, “Christmas concert”, “Christmas festival” and “Christmas dinner”. “Real intent” is measured using the average monthly search volumes for those specific terms.
Christmas Tree Farms per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Note: “Christmas tree farms” refers to Christmas tree gardens, lots and selling points.
Bakeries per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Diversity of Restaurants: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Ice Skating Rinks per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Nightlife Options per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
Note: Many cities host Christmas concerts during the holiday season.
Percentage of Residents Who Are Fully Vaccinated: Double Weight (~2.67 Points)

Observance - Total Points: 20

Share of Christian Population: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
Churches per Capita*: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)

Generosity - Total Points: 20

Food Banks per Capita*: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Share of Income Donated to Charity: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Share of Population Collecting/Distributing Food & Clothes for the Needy: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Online Giving per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Christmas Spirit: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Most Caring Cities” ranking.

Shopping - Total Points: 20

Christmas Markets per Capita*: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
Gift Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Shopping Centers & Outlets per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Toy Stores & Hobby Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Candy Stores & Chocolatiers per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Cards & Stationery Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Holiday Decorations Shops & Holiday Decorating Services per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Costs - Total Points: 20

Average Price per Christmas Party Ticket: Double Weight (~5.71 Points)
Cost of Three-Star Hotel Room: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Restaurant Meal Costs: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Number of Affordable, High-Quality Restaurants: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Note: “High-Quality Restaurants” include those with ratings of 4.5 stars or higher.
Average Beverage Price: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Note: “Beverage” refers to beer and wine.
Average Price for Two Tickets to the Theater: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Note: Some cities offer a wide range of Christmas-themed performances which one can enjoy with friends or family.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Corporation for National and Community Service, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Council for Community and Economic Research, The Association of Religion Data Archives, Priceline, Eventbrite, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Kayak, Numbeo, Google Ads, Expatistan, Internal Revenue Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WalletHub research.

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