We’ve conducted a comprehensive study analyzing public light displays and search trends to rank the most festive cities in America. In this article, we’ll reveal these sparkling cities, explore each state’s most cherished Christmas decorations, and delve into the nation’s holiday traditions and preferences.
Key Takeaways
- Cleveland, Ohio, is the most festive city in the US, followed by Atlanta, Georgia, and Arlington, Texas.
- Arlington, Texas, searches the most for Christmas lights and local light displays per capita.
- 27% of Americans visit a local light attraction every year.
- On average, Americans expect to pay $24 in electricity costs due to their Christmas decorations.
- 64% of Americans prefer fake Christmas trees to real ones.
- 3 in 4 Americans plan to use energy-efficient lighting for their holiday decorations this year.
Top Cities for Christmas Lights & Festivities
- Residents in Arlington, Texas, search the most for Christmas lights and local light displays per capita.
- Christmas in New York City is spectacular. The Big Apple has the most major Christmas light shows, festivals, markets, and parades.
- Miami, Florida, residents search the most for Christmas decorations per capita.
Most Iconic Christmas Decorations by State
- Christmas lights are the most associated Christmas decoration to Texas.
- Stockings and gingerbread are the most associated Christmas decorations on the West Coast.
- Snow globes are the most associated Christmas decorations in the Midwest.
- Christmas trees are the most associated Christmas decorations in the Southeast.
How Americans Decorate for Christmas
- 27% of Americans visit a local light attraction every year. Women are 52% more likely to do so (32%) than men (21%).
- Over 9 in 10 Americans (91%) plan to put up Christmas decorations this year, spending an average of $65 on them.
- Gen X plans to spend the most on Christmas decorations this year ($73), while Gen Z plans to spend the least ($57).
- The most popular decorations Americans plan to put up this year:
- Tree ornaments (51%)
- Wreaths or garlands (44%)
- Indoor string lights (43%)
- Outdoor string lights (36%)
- Holiday tableware or dining decorations (28%)
- Nearly 1 in 4 Americans (23%) put up their Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.
- Millennials are the most likely to put up their Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving (26%).
- Gen Z is the most likely to have a strong preference for Christmas light colors: 40% prefer multi-color lights, while only 19% prefer white lights.
- On average, Americans expect to pay $24 in electricity costs due to their Christmas decorations.
- 3 in 4 Americans plan to use energy-efficient Christmas lighting for their holiday decorations this year.
Methodology
For this study, we developed a meta-ranking to rank the most festive cities in the US among the 75 most populous cities. We analyzed the following metrics with the associated weights:
- Searches related to Christmas lights and local displays per capita via Google Trends (50%)
- Number of major Christmas light shows, festivals, markets, or parades via online manual research (30%)
- Searches related to Christmas decorations per capita via Google Trends (20%)
We also surveyed 1,002 Americans about their Christmas traditions and preferences. Among them, 50% identified as millennials, 25% as Gen X, 17% as Gen Z, and 8% as baby boomers. Additionally, 54% identified as women, 44% as men, and 2% as non-binary.
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