2022's Best Cities for Christmas

Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial WriterDec 20, 2022

Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial Writer
Dec 20, 2022

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 2022, Americans are projected to spend between $943 billion and $960 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 being in a city where the costs of celebrating Christmas are relatively low can help. Overspending is a common mistake during the Christmas shopping season, and 57% of consumers think buying Christmas gifts will be more difficult this year than last year due to inflated prices.

Beyond ensuring its affordability, though, 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	Seattle, WA	61.38	9	80	1	17	30
2	Atlanta, GA	60.83	7	24	4	6	66
3	Las Vegas, NV	60.66	4	42	35	1	65
4	Pittsburgh, PA	59.08	27	3	6	13	16
5	Orlando, FL	58.47	3	10	71	4	83
6	St. Louis, MO	57.62	24	5	22	11	12
7	Honolulu, HI	56.27	16	20	61	2	38
8	Cincinnati, OH	55.48	28	12	50	8	8
9	New York, NY	55.43	1	97	3	3	100
10	Washington, DC	54.75	12	50	2	24	85
11	San Francisco, CA	54.30	2	61	5	18	99
12	Los Angeles, CA	54.24	5	95	28	9	57
13	Miami, FL	53.08	8	23	78	12	78
14	Portland, OR	52.32	15	66	19	5	88
15	Chicago, IL	51.95	6	92	11	21	74
16	Buffalo, NY	51.54	37	2	45	29	31
17	Denver, CO	51.50	11	67	21	15	92
18	Minneapolis, MN	51.23	13	18	39	54	14
19	Raleigh, NC	50.98	32	32	14	20	49
20	San Diego, CA	50.40	10	88	42	7	94
21	Phoenix, AZ	48.95	20	87	34	16	47
22	St. Paul, MN	48.51	33	8	44	28	45
23	Austin, TX	48.37	23	69	64	19	32
24	Scottsdale, AZ	48.33	66	72	12	14	22
25	Houston, TX	48.24	22	89	66	10	43
26	Sacramento, CA	47.23	26	44	36	27	60
27	Tampa, FL	46.94	25	13	38	22	96
28	Birmingham, AL	46.65	71	1	43	39	64
29	Boston, MA	46.43	18	86	7	36	82
30	Philadelphia, PA	46.41	19	81	54	33	42
31	New Orleans, LA	46.34	14	6	74	44	90
32	Indianapolis, IN	46.26	43	78	13	42	13
33	Tulsa, OK	46.03	84	19	67	37	2
34	Baltimore, MD	45.59	39	53	33	45	21
35	Wichita, KS	45.47	94	7	47	58	4
36	Nashville, TN	45.06	29	49	30	35	76
37	San Antonio, TX	44.98	17	70	84	23	68
38	Tucson, AZ	44.48	40	46	83	31	35
39	Reno, NV	44.29	61	71	57	32	6
40	Colorado Springs, CO	44.17	54	43	29	43	33
41	Oakland, CA	44.15	36	34	15	50	89
42	Dallas, TX	44.13	21	67	46	25	91
43	Anaheim, CA	44.02	31	38	75	38	23
44	Columbus, OH	43.90	45	84	52	30	19
45	Milwaukee, WI	43.71	50	33	63	64	15
46	Cleveland, OH	43.68	38	11	48	62	67
47	Virginia Beach, VA	43.43	41	58	9	57	58
48	Charlotte, NC	43.13	49	51	24	49	56
49	Memphis, TN	42.98	59	27	55	61	28
50	Fort Worth, TX	42.90	77	54	23	67	11
51	Oklahoma City, OK	42.86	68	36	53	40	44
52	Durham, NC	42.50	58	21	37	78	10
53	Madison, WI	42.49	47	83	8	51	41
54	Irvine, CA	42.44	35	60	20	52	80
55	Kansas City, MO	42.43	34	37	65	73	53
56	Louisville, KY	42.43	53	48	40	34	69
57	Norfolk, VA	42.37	46	15	59	81	40
58	Albuquerque, NM	41.65	64	22	97	26	29
59	Plano, TX	41.16	80	74	18	63	24
60	Bakersfield, CA	41.12	87	17	98	74	3
61	Omaha, NE	41.00	48	31	58	41	86
62	Santa Ana, CA	40.65	42	57	72	77	37
63	Chesapeake, VA	40.41	74	45	16	89	39
64	El Paso, TX	40.29	62	16	80	59	62
65	San Jose, CA	40.07	30	65	32	47	98
66	Arlington, TX	40.06	60	76	70	84	7
67	St. Petersburg, FL	39.97	51	35	68	60	70
68	Newark, NJ	39.71	67	4	60	100	79
69	Baton Rouge, LA	39.41	82	30	88	53	46
70	Winston-Salem, NC	39.27	73	25	87	86	26
71	Lexington-Fayette, KY	39.04	75	62	69	55	48
72	Boise, ID	38.58	57	39	77	56	75
73	Greensboro, NC	38.44	56	9	94	75	73
74	Jacksonville, FL	38.28	76	59	51	46	77
74	Lincoln, NE	38.28	72	75	25	85	18
76	Jersey City, NJ	38.20	81	55	10	90	87
77	Long Beach, CA	38.16	55	26	76	48	95
78	Chandler, AZ	38.13	91	93	31	68	27
79	Fort Wayne, IN	37.15	88	29	81	69	71
80	Fremont, CA	36.77	79	90	17	80	52
81	Gilbert, AZ	36.76	78	94	27	93	5
82	Anchorage, AK	36.30	70	79	56	66	72
83	Fresno, CA	36.28	90	41	92	71	17
84	Glendale, AZ	36.18	86	85	82	65	1
85	Mesa, AZ	36.13	92	64	49	70	59
86	Riverside, CA	35.89	85	28	85	72	61
87	Aurora, CO	35.63	83	91	62	76	9
88	Irving, TX	35.15	89	82	26	99	36
89	Lubbock, TX	35.14	99	47	89	79	20
90	Corpus Christi, TX	35.06	94	40	99	91	25
91	Stockton, CA	34.18	69	56	95	82	51
92	Garland, TX	33.28	100	77	41	97	50
93	Toledo, OH	32.78	97	14	90	94	97
94	Chula Vista, CA	32.64	65	96	73	88	55
95	Laredo, TX	31.72	52	63	100	87	54
96	Detroit, MI	31.57	63	52	91	95	93
97	Hialeah, FL	30.46	44	99	86	92	81
98	Henderson, NV	28.54	93	100	79	83	63
99	San Bernardino, CA	27.90	96	73	96	98	84
100	North Las Vegas, NV	26.14	98	98	93	96	34

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.

Avg. Price per Christmas Party Ticket

Lowest

Lowest
1. Honolulu, HI
2. Minneapolis, MN
3. Bakersfield, CA
4. St. Louis, MO
5. Seattle, WA

Highest

Highest
T-65. Omaha, NE
T-65. Jersey City, NJ
T-65. San Antonio, TX
T-65. Long Beach, CA
T-65. Louisville, KY

Christmas Tree Farms per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. Miami, FL
T-1. Stockton, CA
T-1. Portland, OR
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. Gilbert, AZ

Fewest

Fewest
77. Tulsa, OK
78. Colorado Springs, CO
79. Louisville, KY
80. El Paso, TX
81. Indianapolis, IN

Gift Shops per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. Orlando, FL
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. San Francisco, CA
T-1. Honolulu, HI
5. Portland, OR

Fewest

Fewest
96. Irving, TX
97. Henderson, NV
98. Gilbert, AZ
99. Garland, TX
100. North Las Vegas, NV

Toy Stores & Hobby Shops per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. Orlando, FL
4. Phoenix, AZ
5. Portland, OR

Fewest

Fewest
96. Jersey City, NJ
97. Irving, TX
98. North Las Vegas, NV
99. Detroit, MI
100. Newark, NJ

Online Giving per Capita

Highest

Highest
T-1. Boston, MA
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. San Francisco, CA
T-1. Washington, DC
T-1. Seattle, WA

Lowest

Lowest
96. Memphis, TN
97. North Las Vegas, NV
98. Corpus Christi, TX
99. Hialeah, FL
100. San Bernardino, CA

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?
In evaluating the best cities for Christmas celebrations, what are the top five indicators?
What money-saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for the Christmas holiday?

Ask the Experts

Yao (Henry) Jin
Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management; Co-Editor-in-Chief, Transportation Journal, Department of Management, Farmer School of Business – Miami University
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Tyra Warner
Ph.D., JD, CMP – Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Hospitality, Tourism, & Culinary Arts – College of Coastal Georgia
Read More

AJ Templeton
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Hotel, Resort, & Hospitality Management – Southern Utah University
Read More

Steven Carnovale
Ph.D. – Co-Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management and Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management – Florida Atlantic University
Read More

Alba J. Collart
Ph.D. – Associate Professor & Extension Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics – Mississippi State University
Read More

Jeff Shockley
Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Supply Chain Management and Analytics – Virginia Commonwealth University
Read More

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 Against COVID-19: 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 U.S. Religion Census , 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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