America's best cities for Halloween, ranked
Giant Halloween inflatable pumpkin rolls down road, menaces cars
Gusty winds sent a farm’s massive Halloween decoration tumbling down a North Carolina roadway on Sunday, October 11, stopping motorists in their tracks. (Credit: Daniel Wester via Storyful)
From trick-or-treating and haunted houses to costume shopping and horror movies, some cities offer more ways to celebrate Halloween than others.
A new ranking from WalletHub evaluated the 100 largest U.S. cities to determine which are best for the spooky holiday, comparing 20 metrics, including costume stores per capita, crime rates, walkability and the share of potential trick-or-treat stops.
The results put two major coastal cities near the top.
New York ranked best city for Halloween
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New York City ranked as the best city for Halloween overall, followed by Los Angeles and Jersey City, New Jersey.
New York earned the top ranking in part because of its abundance of Halloween-related businesses and activities. According to the data, the city had the second-most costume shops and the most candy stores per capita. Its residents also search Google for Halloween parties and related terms more than people in any other city.
The city's population density and third-highest walkability score also made it convenient for trick-or-treating. New York additionally ranked second for movie theaters per capita and 16th for haunted houses.
Los Angeles, Jersey City ranked as top cities for Halloween
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Meanwhile, Los Angeles came in second, thanks to its high number of pumpkin patches and Halloween party supply stores per capita. The city also ranked seventh for costume stores and 10th for candy stores per capita.
New York City ranked the best U.S. city for Halloween, followed by Los Angeles and Jersey City, New Jersey. (Credit: Getty Images)
In addition, Los Angeles offered plenty of options for celebrating beyond trick-or-treating. The data found it had the most movie theaters per capita, the 11th-most amusement parks and the sixth-most haunted houses per capita. The city also ranked 12th for walkability.
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Jersey City rounded out the top three. It has the second-highest population density and fourth-highest walkability score among the cities evaluated, making it a convenient place for Halloween activities.
What they're saying:
"Halloween holds a big place in American popular culture, and we collectively spend billions of dollars celebrating every year," Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said in a statement. "At the same time, it’s also a holiday that comes with a certain amount of risk, given that children visit strangers’ houses in the dark. The best cities for Halloween are those that provide the safest conditions for celebrating, along with an abundance of activities, Halloween-related stores and good weather."
Best cities for Halloween ranked
- New York, New York
- Los Angeles, California
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Chicago, Illinois
- Miami, Florida
- Anaheim, California
- Boston, Massachusetts
- San Francisco, California
- Newark, New Jersey
See the full report here.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by WalletHub’s data which was collected as of September 28, 2026 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Transportation - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Council for Community and Economic Research, AccuWeather, Walk Score, Yelp, Numbeo and Google Ads. This story was reported from Los Angeles.