2023's Best Places to Celebrate Easter

Adam McCann , WalletHub Financial WriterApr 4, 2023

Adam McCann , WalletHub Financial Writer
Apr 4, 2023

Easter is typically a big consumer holiday that rakes in billions and gives Americans toothaches. In fact, 80% of Americans celebrated the holiday last year, and this year consumers are expected to spend $24 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. In the weeks leading up to the holiday, grocery stores will offer an abundance of seasonal foods like chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps, as well as extra eggs for people who want to dye them.

For Christians, however, Easter is less of a commercial event than a holy experience. It not only marks the end of Lent — a 40-day period of fasting, reflection, prayer and repentance followed directly by Easter Sunday — but it also celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and represents the “new covenant” between God and humanity. In observance of the holiday, many families will attend services.

Some Americans will feel the Easter spirit more than others, depending on where they live. To identify those areas, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities based on 12 metrics that speak to an ideal Easter celebration. Our metrics range from candy and chocolate stores per capita to the city’s Christian population.

Make sure to also check out WalletHub’s Easter Facts & Stats – Church, Candy & Cash infographic for fun facts about the holiday.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Best Places to Celebrate Easter

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Easter Observers	Easter Traditions	Kids’ Easter	Easter Weather
1	Pittsburgh, PA	56.06	4	3	96	48
2	Buffalo, NY	55.52	2	37	56	45
3	El Paso, TX	54.36	7	17	12	28
4	New Orleans, LA	53.74	3	30	35	45
5	Birmingham, AL	53.60	1	70	10	72
6	Orlando, FL	52.56	16	2	59	86
7	Miami, FL	52.33	30	1	95	81
8	Las Vegas, NV	51.57	39	10	48	3
9	Albuquerque, NM	50.33	14	28	41	19
10	St. Louis, MO	50.18	8	21	88	58
11	Honolulu, HI	49.37	38	4	4	90
12	Atlanta, GA	48.92	21	12	90	77
13	Cincinnati, OH	48.22	24	20	51	58
14	Laredo, TX	47.96	15	25	5	91
15	Wichita, KS	47.51	6	76	37	39
16	Milwaukee, WI	47.33	28	44	18	12
17	Tampa, FL	47.14	13	26	66	85
18	Long Beach, CA	47.05	19	39	84	35
19	St. Paul, MN	46.91	9	52	36	57
20	Cleveland, OH	46.84	10	47	76	58
21	Sacramento, CA	46.74	56	19	57	5
22	Minneapolis, MN	46.73	22	24	74	83
23	Washington, DC	46.24	52	11	79	69
24	Newark, NJ	46.01	5	85	47	58
25	Riverside, CA	45.92	34	48	64	12
26	San Francisco, CA	45.90	80	6	100	28
27	Oklahoma City, OK	45.71	29	50	15	42
28	Anaheim, CA	45.44	32	51	54	28
29	San Jose, CA	45.32	73	14	71	28
30	San Diego, CA	45.18	88	8	70	28
31	San Antonio, TX	45.11	54	15	29	78
32	Bakersfield, CA	44.94	18	80	9	19
33	Colorado Springs, CO	44.93	57	53	45	1
34	Tucson, AZ	44.81	53	27	80	35
35	Tulsa, OK	44.63	26	54	27	42
36	Philadelphia, PA	44.26	67	18	67	41
37	Oakland, CA	44.18	44	43	85	28
38	Omaha, NE	43.68	36	69	26	18
39	Memphis, TN	43.60	17	73	21	69
40	Scottsdale, AZ	43.46	68	38	42	12
41	Chicago, IL	43.36	82	13	87	48
42	Los Angeles, CA	43.31	83	22	86	19
43	Phoenix, AZ	43.05	81	33	17	19
44	Dallas, TX	42.85	61	36	25	55
45	Fresno, CA	42.78	45	74	14	5
46	Nashville, TN	42.71	50	40	43	72
47	Portland, OR	42.39	91	9	94	81
48	Austin, TX	42.38	76	23	75	68
49	Santa Ana, CA	42.27	47	58	61	19
50	Denver, CO	42.21	85	5	89	89
51	Houston, TX	42.17	77	31	22	55
52	New York, NY	42.16	84	16	81	45
53	Louisville, KY	42.11	51	45	49	69
54	Raleigh, NC	41.90	37	29	73	99
55	Baltimore, MD	41.83	70	34	78	48
56	Charlotte, NC	41.47	40	35	38	97
57	Fort Worth, TX	41.27	48	67	13	42
58	Jersey City, NJ	41.05	42	65	52	48
59	Durham, NC	40.91	27	46	69	99
60	Kansas City, MO	40.85	43	84	23	37
61	Greensboro, NC	40.78	12	68	46	98
62	Jacksonville, FL	40.76	58	55	8	75
63	Irvine, CA	40.73	49	75	20	38
64	Boston, MA	40.71	62	41	97	48
65	Boise, ID	40.70	41	59	92	58
66	Toledo, OH	40.50	25	89	50	58
67	Baton Rouge, LA	40.39	23	92	63	48
68	Reno, NV	40.22	72	56	77	19
69	Fort Wayne, IN	40.09	35	88	39	48
70	St. Petersburg, FL	40.04	31	61	93	87
71	Seattle, WA	39.93	94	7	99	92
72	Glendale, AZ	39.89	79	66	28	5
73	Corpus Christi, TX	39.19	11	97	32	88
74	Lubbock, TX	39.16	46	96	58	17
75	Madison, WI	39.11	86	49	91	26
76	Mesa, AZ	39.05	63	87	55	5
77	Plano, TX	38.82	60	60	72	72
78	Winston-Salem, NC	38.63	20	79	65	96
79	Columbus, OH	38.52	92	42	44	58
80	Lincoln, NE	38.23	78	81	59	11
81	Fremont, CA	38.15	93	64	6	28
82	Stockton, CA	38.10	66	90	31	12
83	San Bernardino, CA	37.82	74	99	3	12
84	Gilbert, AZ	37.75	89	78	19	5
85	Detroit, MI	37.46	59	86	40	58
86	Irving, TX	37.45	69	91	11	40
87	Chula Vista, CA	37.42	95	57	53	19
88	Norfolk, VA	37.18	33	82	83	93
89	Lexington-Fayette, KY	36.97	71	77	68	66
90	Chandler, AZ	36.85	90	83	62	5
91	Aurora, CO	36.75	98	63	24	27
92	Anchorage, AK	36.73	96	71	1	84
93	Indianapolis, IN	36.35	87	62	33	79
94	Hialeah, FL	36.23	100	32	98	76
95	Garland, TX	35.84	65	94	34	66
96	Chesapeake, VA	35.44	55	98	2	93
97	Arlington, TX	35.38	64	95	30	80
98	Virginia Beach, VA	34.66	75	72	16	93
99	Henderson, NV	34.51	99	93	82	2
100	North Las Vegas, NV	34.41	97	100	7	3

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of 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.

Churches per Capita

Most

Most
1. Birmingham, AL
2. Buffalo, NY
3. Greensboro, NC
4. St. Louis, MO
5. Orlando, FL

Fewest

Fewest
96. Hialeah, FL
97. North Las Vegas, NV
98. Laredo, TX
99. Henderson, NV
100. New York, NY

% of Christian Population

Highest

Highest
1. Laredo, TX
2. New Orleans, LA
3. El Paso, TX
4. Corpus Christi, TX
5. Buffalo, NY

Lowest

Lowest
T-96. Denver, CO
T-96. Aurora, CO
98. Portland, OR
99. Seattle, WA
100. Anchorage, AK

Candy & Chocolate Stores per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. Honolulu, HI
4. Pittsburgh, PA
5. Chicago, IL

Fewest

Fewest
95. Norfolk, VA
96. Chesapeake, VA
97. Newark, NJ
98. Fremont, CA
99. Garland, TX

Flower & Gift Shops per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. Orlando, FL
T-1. Honolului, HI
3. St. Louis, MO
4. Miami, FL
5. Atlanta, GA

Fewest

Fewest
96. Fremont, CA
97. Irving, TX
98. Gilbert, AZ
99. Henderson, NV
100. Garland, TX

Easter Weather Forecast

Best

Best
1. Colorado Springs, CO
2. Henderson, NV
T-3. Las Vegas, NV
T-3. North Las Vegas, NV
T-5. Fresno, CA
T-5. Sacramento, CA

Worst

Worst
96. Winston-Salem, NC
97. Charlotte, NC
98. Greensboro, NC
T-99. Raleigh, NC
T-99. Durham, NC

Ask the Experts

Easter can be an expensive holiday to celebrate. According to the National Retail Federation, the average U.S. consumer will spend roughly $192 on celebration expenses this year. For more insight on observing Easter during the current economic situation, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips do you have for celebrating Easter on a budget?
What are some of the big money wasters on Easter?
Has Easter in America become too commercialized?
How will inflation impact Easter celebrations this year, if at all?
What money-saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for the Easter Holiday?

Ask the Experts

Claire Stewart
Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, School of Professional Studies – New York City College of Technology
Read More

Jing Li
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Hospitality and Retail Management, College of Human Sciences – Texas Tech University
Read More

Kelly Ann Way
Associate Professor – Hospitality Management; Assistant Director – School of Human Environmental Sciences – University of Arkansas
Read More

Joshua A. Roe
Director/Teaching Assistant Professor, Adventure Recreation Management – West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the best cities for celebrating Easter, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across four key dimensions: 1) Easter Observers, 2) Easter Traditions, 3) Kids’ Easter and 4) Easter Weather.

We evaluated those dimensions using 12 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 the holiday. 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.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Easter Observers – Total Points: 50

Share of Christian Population: Double Weight (~33.33 Points)
Note: The percentage is based on the ratio between the total adherents of the following U.S. religions — Adventist, Baptist, Catholicism, Communal, Orthodox, Anglican/Episcopal, European Free-Church, Holiness, Ind. Fundamentalist, Latter-Day Saints, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian/Reformed — and the total population of the city.
Churches per Capita*: Full Weight (~16.67 Points)

Easter Traditions – Total Points: 30

Google Search Interest for “Easter Celebration”: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Note: The metric measures the search interest for “Easter Celebration,” “Easter Sunday,” “Easter Egg Hunt,” “Easter Activities” and “Easter Dinner.”
Brunch Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Note: Easter brunch is a longstanding tradition in many families.
Cost of Restaurant Meal: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Candy & Chocolate Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Flower & Gift Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Percentage of Residents 5+ Who Are Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19: Double Weight (~8.57 Points)

Kids’ Easter - Total Points: 10

Share of Children Aged 9 & Younger: Full Weight (~6.67 Points)
Acres of Parkland per Capita: Half Weight (~3.33 Points)
Note: Many of the public Egg Hunt events take place in parks.

Easter Weather - Total Points: 10

Difference Between Forecasted and Normal Temperatures on Easter: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Note: For this metric, the city was penalized if its forecasted temperature on Easter’s Day is colder than the holiday’s average temperature.
Forecasted Precipitation for Easter: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Association of Religion Data Archives, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Trust for Public Land, Yelp, Google, Numbeo, and AccuWeather.

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