While hockey may not have quite the draw of football, basketball or baseball, it’s still a big money maker. In fact, NHL revenue is expected to hit a record high $6.6 billion this season. It’s also an exciting time of year for hockey fans in the lead up to the Stanley Cup semifinals. The teams that have qualified are the Florida Panthers (1 Stanley Cup win), Carolina Hurricanes (1 Stanley Cup win), Dallas Stars (1 Stanley Cup win) and Edmonton Oilers (5 Stanley Cup wins).
So for all the diehard and rookie fans, WalletHub crunched the numbers to determine the best places for hockey enthusiasts. We ranked 76 U.S. cities based on 21 key indicators of a good hockey city. Our data set ranges from ticket prices to stadium capacity to the performance level of each city’s teams.
Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Main Findings
Best Hockey Cities
|
Overall Rank |
City |
Total Score |
NHL Rank |
NCAA Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston, MA | 61.44 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Detroit, MI | 57.15 | 1 | 60 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh, PA | 55.58 | 2 | 38 |
| 4 | New York, NY | 52.52 | 4 | 49 |
| 5 | Newark, NJ | 49.81 | 5 | 60 |
| 6 | Denver, CO | 49.42 | 8 | 6 |
| 7 | Sunrise, FL | 49.27 | 6 | 60 |
| 8 | Tampa, FL | 46.43 | 7 | 60 |
| 9 | Buffalo, NY | 42.86 | 11 | 41 |
| 10 | St. Louis, MO | 42.65 | 9 | 60 |
| 11 | Raleigh, NC | 42.61 | 10 | 60 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | 41.41 | 13 | 60 |
| 13 | St. Paul, MN | 40.93 | 12 | 58 |
| 14 | Anaheim, CA | 39.70 | 14 | 60 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | 39.17 | 15 | 60 |
| 16 | Washington, DC | 38.72 | 16 | 60 |
| 17 | Dallas, TX | 36.80 | 17 | 60 |
| 18 | Los Angeles, CA | 33.46 | 18 | 60 |
| 19 | San Jose, CA | 31.38 | 19 | 60 |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | 30.78 | 23 | 30 |
| 21 | Nashville, TN | 28.46 | 20 | 60 |
| 22 | Las Vegas, NV | 28.24 | 21 | 60 |
| 23 | Seattle, WA | 28.11 | 22 | 60 |
| 24 | Salt Lake City, UT | 23.28 | 24 | 60 |
| 25 | Grand Forks, ND | 21.08 | 25 | 2 |
| 26 | Lewiston, NY | 20.51 | 25 | 3 |
| 27 | Orono, ME | 19.17 | 25 | 4 |
| 28 | Hamilton, NY | 18.95 | 25 | 5 |
| 29 | Houghton, MI | 18.67 | 25 | 7 |
| 30 | Ann Arbor, MI | 18.20 | 25 | 8 |
| 31 | West Point, NY | 18.18 | 25 | 9 |
| 32 | Big Rapids, MI | 17.84 | 25 | 10 |
| 33 | East Lansing, MI | 17.79 | 25 | 11 |
| 34 | Durham, NH | 16.93 | 25 | 12 |
| 35 | Hanover, NH | 16.79 | 25 | 13 |
| 36 | New Haven, CT | 16.69 | 25 | 14 |
| 37 | Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 16.61 | 25 | 15 |
| 38 | Potsdam, NY | 16.41 | 25 | 16 |
| 39 | Providence, RI | 16.36 | 25 | 17 |
| 40 | Storrs, CT | 15.89 | 25 | 18 |
| 41 | Bemidji, MN | 15.63 | 25 | 19 |
| 42 | Ithaca, NY | 15.30 | 25 | 20 |
| 43 | State College, PA | 15.19 | 25 | 21 |
| 44 | Colorado Springs, CO | 15.18 | 25 | 22 |
| 45 | Madison, WI | 14.70 | 25 | 23 |
| 46 | Rochester, NY | 14.43 | 25 | 24 |
| 47 | Bowling Green, OH | 14.24 | 25 | 25 |
| 48 | Minneapolis, MN | 13.56 | 25 | 26 |
| 49 | Amherst, MA | 13.42 | 25 | 27 |
| 50 | Canton, NY | 13.24 | 25 | 28 |
| 51 | Cambridge, MA | 13.14 | 25 | 29 |
| 52 | Bridgeport, CT | 12.96 | 25 | 31 |
| 53 | Erie, PA | 12.94 | 25 | 32 |
| 54 | Springfield, MA | 12.53 | 25 | 33 |
| 55 | Schenectady, NY | 12.52 | 25 | 34 |
| 56 | St. Cloud, MN | 11.98 | 25 | 35 |
| 57 | Anchorage, AK | 11.96 | 25 | 36 |
| 58 | Duluth, MN | 11.94 | 25 | 37 |
| 59 | Worcester, MA | 11.72 | 25 | 39 |
| 60 | Lowell, MA | 11.61 | 25 | 40 |
| 61 | Waltham, MA | 11.60 | 25 | 41 |
| 62 | South Bend, IN | 11.38 | 25 | 43 |
| 63 | Omaha, NE | 11.34 | 25 | 44 |
| 64 | Mankato, MN | 11.32 | 25 | 45 |
| 65 | Troy, NY | 11.07 | 25 | 46 |
| 66 | Princeton, NJ | 11.03 | 25 | 47 |
| 67 | St. Charles, MO | 10.98 | 25 | 48 |
| 68 | Fairbanks, AK | 10.74 | 25 | 50 |
| 69 | Kalamazoo, MI | 10.50 | 25 | 51 |
| 70 | North Andover, MA | 10.07 | 25 | 52 |
| 71 | Oxford, OH | 9.61 | 25 | 53 |
| 72 | Tempe, AZ | 9.43 | 25 | 54 |
| 73 | Sioux Falls, SD | 9.38 | 25 | 55 |
| 74 | Marquette, MI | 9.11 | 25 | 56 |
| 75 | Easton, MA | 8.00 | 25 | 57 |
| 76 | Burlington, VT | 6.46 | 25 | 59 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of each city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for each category.
- Best
- 1. Boston, MA
- 2. Raleigh, NC
- 3. Denver, CO
- 4. Sunrise, FL
- 5. Dallas, TX
- Worst
- 19. Philadelphia, PA
- 20. Columbus, OH
- 21. Anaheim, CA
- 22. Chicago, IL
- 23. San Jose, CA
- Best
- 1. Denver, CO
- 2. Mankato, MN
- 3. Minneapolis, MN
- 4. Ann Arbor, MI
- 5. Kalamazoo, MI
- Worst
- 55. Pittsburgh, PA
- 56. St. Paul, MN
- 57. Hanover, NH
- 58. St. Charles, MO
- 59. Oxford, OH
- Lowest
- 1. Sunrise, FL
- 2. Buffalo, NY
- 3. San Jose, CA
- 4. Anaheim, CA
- 5. Columbus, OH
- Highest
- 19. Seattle, WA
- 20. Chicago, IL
- 21. Boston, MA
- 22. Nashville, TN
- 23. Las Vegas, NV
- Lowest
- 1. St. Charles, MO
- 2. Springfield, MA
- 3. Waltham, MA
- T-4. Buffalo, NY
- T-4. Worcester, MA
- Highest
- 54. Duluth, MN
- 55. Tempe, AZ
- 56. Grand Forks, ND
- 57. Houghton, MI
- 58. Minneapolis, MN
- Highest
- 1. Sunrise, FL
- 2. Salt Lake City, UT
- 3. Buffalo, NY
- 4. St. Louis, MO
- 5. Pittsburgh, PA
- Lowest
- 20. Dallas, TX
- 21. Philadelphia, PA
- 22. Chicago, IL
- 23. Los Angeles, CA
- 24. New York, NY
- Highest
- T-1. Lewiston, NY
- T-1. Durham, NH
- 3. Hamilton, NY
- 4. Houghton, MI
- 5. Hanover, NH
- Lowest
- 55. Buffalo, NY
- 56. Pittsburgh, PA
- 57. St. Paul, MN
- 58. Anchorage, AK
- 59. New York, NY
- Highest
- T-1. Pittsburgh, PA
- T-1. Sunrise, FL
- 3. Boston, MA
- 4. St. Louis, MO
- 5. Buffalo, NY
- Lowest
- 20. Columbus, OH
- 21. Seattle, WA
- 22. Los Angeles, CA
- 23. New York, NY
- 24. Salt Lake City, UT
- Highest
- T-1. Lewiston, NY
- T-1. Hamilton, NY
- T-1. Orono, ME
- T-1. Houghton, MI
- 5. Big Rapids, MI
- Lowest
- 55. Buffalo, NY
- 56. Sioux Falls, SD
- 57. Anchorage, AK
- 58. St. Paul, MN
- 59. New York, NY
In-Depth Look at the Best Cities for Hockey Fans
Boston, MA
Boston is the best city for hockey fans, and it’s home to the Boston Bruins, which has the most regular season wins in NHL history. The Bruins have also won 20 division titles and have taken home six Stanley Cups, giving Boston the third-most of any city.
In addition, the Boston Bruins are the second-most valuable NHL team, worth $2.7 billion, and they have the third-most engaged fans on social media.
Boston also does well when it comes to NCAA hockey. It has three Division 1 teams, the Boston College Eagles, Boston University Terriers, and Northeastern University Huskies. Collectively, these teams have brought Boston 10 NCAA titles, the most of any city, with the wins split between Boston College and Boston University.
Detroit, MI
Detroit is the second-best city for hockey fans. It’s home to the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, which have won 11 Stanley Cups, the most of any team. They also have won 16 division titles.
The Red Wings are the sixth-most valuable team in the league, worth around $2.1 billion. They also have the sixth-most engaged fans on social media, along with being the fourth-most popular team in NHL.
When it comes to college-level hockey, unfortunately, Detroit doesn’t have any Division 1 NCAA teams.
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh is the third-best city for hockey fans, and its NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, has brought home five Stanley Cups, the fourth-most in the nation. The Penguins are also an extremely popular team, and they have the most engaged fanbase of any team when it comes to followers on social media, as well as the highest share of people who have a positive opinion of them. Pittsburgh has the fifth-biggest stadium capacity in the nation, too.
In addition, the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area is home to Robert Morris University, which has a Division 1 NCAA hockey team, the Colonials. It stands out for having some of the most affordable season tickets, at just $150 for the entire season.
Ask the Experts
For additional insight about the business side of the sport, hockey fandom and more, we asked a panel of sports experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:
- What are the biggest challenges facing the business of professional hockey today?
- Do you have any tips for how hockey fans can enjoy the sport without breaking the bank?
- In evaluating the best cities for hockey fans, what are the top five indicators?
- What are the main issues for the NHL in 2025?
Ask the Experts
Professor of Sports Management and Hockey Director, Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida
Read More
Professor, Sports Communication and Speech Communication Studies, School of Communications - Webster University
Read More
Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sports Management and Business Analytics, School of Business Administration - Menlo College
Read More
Woodard Family Foundation Fellow, Senior Sports Business Instructor – University of Oregon, Lundquist College of Business, Warsaw Sports Business Center
Read More
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Sport Management, Center for Sport Marketing Research – University of Michigan
Read More
Clinical Assistant Professor, Sport Management Program – University of Michigan
Read More
Methodology
In order to determine the best cities for hockey fans, WalletHub compared 76 U.S. cities across two divisional categories, NHL (Division I Men’s) and NCAA (Division I Men’s). For our sample, we chose cities with at least one college or professional hockey team.
We evaluated each divisional category using 21 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 hockey fans. The weight for each divisional category is based on its popularity, which we determined by summing the number of “Likes” for all the teams in each category and calculating the proportion that each league represents in total.
We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to construct our final ranking.
NHL – Total Points: 80
- Number of NHL Team(s): Full Weight (~9.41 Points)
- Performance Level of NHL Team(s): Full Weight (~9.41 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated by dividing the number of wins by the total games played. We used the past three seasons’ average for this calculation. - Number of Stanley Cup Wins: Full Weight (~9.41 Points)
- Number of NHL Division Championship Wins: Half Weight (~4.71 Points)
- Number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches: Half Weight (~4.71 Points)
- Franchise Value: Half Weight (~4.71 Points)
Note: This metric measures the team’s estimated value in millions of dollars. - Average Ticket Price for NHL Game: Full Weight (~9.41 Points)
- NHL Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~9.41 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated by adding the number of Twitter followers to the number of Facebook “Likes” per capita. - Number of Coaches in Past 10 Seasons (Seasons 2015-16 to 2024-25): Half Weight (~4.71 Points)
- NHL Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~4.71 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated by dividing stadium capacity by city population. - Attendance: Half Weight (~4.71 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated by dividing average home-fan attendance by stadium capacity. - Popularity Index: Half Weight (~4.71 Points)
NCAA (Division I Men’s) – Total Points: 20
- Number of NCAA (Division 1) Team(s): Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- Performance Level of NCAA (Division 1) Team(s): Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated by dividing the number of wins by the total games played. The past three seasons’ average was used for this calculation. - Number of NCAA (Division 1) Championship Wins: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- Number of NCAA (Division 1) Conference Regular Season Championship Wins: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
- Number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
- Minimum Season-Ticket Price for NCAA (Division 1) Game: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- College-Hockey Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated by adding the number of Twitter followers to the number of Facebook “Likes” per capita. - Number of Coaches in Past 10 Seasons (Seasons 2015-16 to 2024-25): Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
- College-Hockey Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated by dividing stadium capacity by city population.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of April 30, 2025 from the U.S. Census Bureau, ESPN, NCAA.org, NHL.com, U.S. College Hockey Online, Forbes, YouGov, Facebook, Twitter, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Team Marketing Report and each team’s website.
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