With Christmas just around the corner, countless Americans are busy preparing for the holidays, whether it’s decorating the tree, stocking the fridge with festive favorites, or arranging seasonal travel. But which US cities can claim to be the most Christmassy?

Comparing each major US city according to a range of factors, including the average time locals hang their Christmas lights, the total number of festive Google searches, and the rate at which people post about the season, online casino and sportsbook Betway have been able to rank the cities with the most Christmas spirit. Read on to see where your city ranks.

1. New York City

Ranking regions according to their levels of Christmas spirit, we can reveal that New York City is the most festive US city, with an impressive index score of 2.8 out of 5. Although, with a plethora of Christmas films set in the Big Apple, from contemporary favorites Elf and Home Alone 2 to classics like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life, should we really be surprised?

New York also scores highly for the overall rate of festive Google searches, with a remarkable 44,400 people searching for ‘Christmas’ since August – more than twice the number of next-placed Los Angeles (19,800). NYC also scores highly for the number of Christmassy social media posts, with 309 per million people, more than any other city and 28 times more than Buffalo (11).

2. Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City ranks second among the most festive cities, with an index score of 2.08, largely thanks to its leading rate of positive sentiment on social media around the Christmas season (83.3%). The Utah capital also has the sixth-highest chance of a white Christmas (25%) of all major US cities.

3. Chicago

With an index score of 1.93, Chicago is officially the third-most festive US city, due to boasting the third-highest number of Google searches for ‘Christmas’ (16,200), behind only New York City and Los Angeles. The city also ranks among the top ten cities for the odds of having a white Christmas (23%) and the average number of days that people have their Christmas lights up (52).

4. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh places fourth when comparing the most Christmassy US cities, with an overall index score of 1.89. This is largely thanks to the 28% chance of enjoying a white Christmas here, as well as the Steel City ranking among the top five cities by festive positive social media sentiment (51.9%). Pittsburgh locals also hang their Christmas lights for 51 days, 20 more days than those in Philadelphia (31).

5. New Orleans

Earning a place in the top five, New Orleans comes away with an overall index score of 1.8. This is mostly down to the high rate of social media posts about the festive season, with 229 posts per million people, with only New Yorkers posting more often. The rate of festive positive social media sentiment in New Orleans (54.3%) is also greater than any other US city, besides Nashville (64.1%), Virginia Beach (75%), and Salt Lake City (83.3%).

T6. Nashville

With an index score of 1.68, Nashville boasts the sixth-best Christmas spirit of all major US cities. The Tennessee city scores particularly highly for the rate of festive social media posting, with 71 posts per million people – only people in New York (309), New Orleans (229), Birmingham (115), Orlando (102), and Boston (71) post more frequently.

T6. Indianapolis

Ranking joint-sixth alongside Nashville, Indianapolis records an index score of 1.68. The city ranks highly across a series of factors, including placing in the top ten cities for the odds of enjoying a white Christmas (19%), the average number of days that locals hang their Christmas lights (52), and the rate of positive social media sentiment around the festive season (50%).

8. Seattle

Seattle records an overall index score of 1.62, ranking eighth among the ten most festive US cities. This is largely down to the extended period that locals keep their Christmas lights up for, an average of 72 days per year – only people in San Francisco hang them for longer (83). The Emerald City also records an impressive positive social media sentiment score, with 43.2% of all posts about Christmas considered favorable.

9. Detroit

With an index score of 1.52, Detroit places ninth when comparing America’s most Christmassy cities. Notably, Detroit is the US city with the third-best odds of enjoying a white Christmas (28%), behind only Cleveland (32%) and Buffalo (43%), as well as locals here keeping their lights up for an average of 50 days.

10. Virginia Beach

Rounding out the top ten most festive US cities, we have Virginia Beach, with an overall index score of 1.46. The coastal city scores particularly well for the rate of festive positive social media sentiment, with a remarkable three in every four posts about Christmas considered favorable – only Salt Lake City scores higher (83.3%).

With Christmas just around the corner, festive excitement levels across the country are growing by the day, with each major city cranking up the celebrations. For even more expert insight like this, stay tuned to the Betway blog.

Methodology

This dataset ranks 48 major US cities based on their Christmas spirit. To do this, five different factors were considered:

  • White Christmas probability – the percentage probability of having snowfall of at least 0.1 inches on December 25th.
  • Christmas lights date range – the number of days that the city has Christmas lights on.
  • Christmas Google search volume – the total Google search volume over the past three available months for ‘Christmas’.
  • Christmas social media posts per million people – the number of posts on social media over the past three available months for ‘Christmas in X’, where X is the relevant city. This was then divided by the population and multiplied by one million.
  • Christmas social media sentiment – the positive sentiment on social media over the past three available months for ‘Christmas in X’, where X is the relevant city.

Once the factors were collected, they were then normalized to provide a factor score between 0-1. The normalized values were combined to give each city a score out of 5, and then ranked. Data gathered is collect as of 25/11/2022.