Though Halloween is the scariest holiday of the year, the impact of rising inflation may make it even more terrifying for Americans across the country. Filling the bowl with copious amounts of candy will cost over 30% more than years past. In fact, combined purchasing those sweet treats along with tricking out your house with decorations and buying your best bone-chilling threads will cost an average of $100 this year, up more than 16% from five years ago, according to the National Retail Federation.
However, while prices may be high across the country, some places are better than others for celebrating Halloween when you consider factors such as family friendliness, safety, weather and festiveness. In this study, we determined the best cities to celebrate Halloween in 2022 by comparing 146 cities across 10 metrics. For more details, read the Data and Methodology section below.
This is SmartAsset’s ninth study on the best places to celebrate Halloween. Check out the previous edition here.
Key Findings
- The West outshines the rest. Nevada, Arizona and California each have three cities at the top of the list. Nevada cities score best for safety and Halloween festiveness. Arizona cities rank best for family friendliness, safety and Halloween weather. California cities score best for Halloween weather and festiveness. Just one top-ranking city belongs to another region (Brownsville, Texas in the South).
- Some cities offer safer outdoors for trick-or-treaters. There are 43 cities below the national average for violent crime, and 40 cities below the national average for property crime on our list. Roughly 28 cities fall below the national average for both crime rates at the same time. For reference, the national average for violent crime is 399 per 100,000 people and the national average for property crime is 1,958 per 100,000.
1. North Las Vegas, NV
North Las Vegas, Nevada scored well for safety and Halloween festiveness. The city has the second- and third-highest concentrations of costume shops and candy stores (54 and nine per 10,000 establishments, respectively). In terms of safety, the county in which North Las Vegas is located has the lowest daily rate of new COVID-19 cases (11.67 cases per 100,000 people). Additionally, the property crime rate is the 26th-lowest of all 146 cities in the study.
2. Henderson, NV
The second-largest Nevada city also takes the No. 2 spot in our study. Henderson offers less dangerous outings for those heading door to door – scoring highest for the safety category. In particular, the city has the 15th- and 16th-lowest violent and property crime rates (208 and 1,426 crimes per 100,000 residents, respectively).
3. Gilbert, AZ
Gilbert, Arizona ranks in the top five cities for the family friendliness, safety and Halloween weather categories. The city has the second-highest concentration of residents ages 14 or younger (24.63%). Violent crime and property crime per capita are the fifth- and eighth-lowest across the study (109 and 1,078 crimes per 100,000 residents, respectively). Gilbert also has the 14th-highest average temperature on Halloween (71 degrees Fahrenheit).
4. Chula Vista, CA
Chula Vista, California is a great place to celebrate Halloween outdoors. The city offers the 10th-lowest property crime rate and 32nd-lowest violent crime rate – 1,171 and 329 per 100,000 residents, respectively. Historically, there has been little to no rain on Halloween in Chula Vista, and the average temperature is about 66 degrees Fahrenheit (29th-highest).
5. Fontana, CA
Roughly 22% of the population in Fontana, California is 14 and younger (14th-highest overall). For those celebrating Halloween virtually, Fontana has the fourth-highest percentage of households with internet access (about 97%). Meanwhile, for those celebrating outside, Fontana ranks in the top 25 cities for both its violent crime and property crime rates (308 and 1,156 per 100,000 residents, respectively).
6. Las Vegas, NV
As with North Las Vegas, the county in which Las Vegas, Nevada is located has the second- and third-highest concentrations of costume shops and candy stores (54 and nine per 10,000 establishments, respectively). And like North Las Vegas, Las Vegas county has the lowest number of new daily COVID-19 cases (11.67 per 100,000 people). Historically, this desert city has had little to no rain on Halloween.
7. Chandler, AZ
Like other Arizona cities in the top 10, Chandler scores well for Halloween weather: it offers an average temperature of 71 degrees Fahrenheit (14th-best) and typically a zero chance of rain. Chandler also ranks well in safety, with the 15th-lowest violent crime rate (206 per 100,000 residents) and 36th-lowest property crime rate (1,855 per 100,000 residents).
8. Moreno Valley, CA
Moreno Valley, California scores in the top 25 for three categories: family friendliness, Halloween weather and Halloween festiveness. The city has the 16th-highest population of residents ages 14 and younger (21.88%), and 94.82% of the city’s households have access to the internet (for virtual celebrations). For those venturing outside, the chance of rain is the 16th-lowest on our list, and the average temperature on Halloween is around 66 degrees Fahrenheit (32nd-highest).
9. Brownsville, TX
The highest ranking category for Brownsville, Texas is Halloween festiveness (taking the No. 5 spot for this category). Specifically, residents have access to the ninth- and 10th-highest concentration of candy stores and costume shops. Additionally, the city offers the sixth-highest temperature on Halloween (about 75 degrees Fahrenheit).
10. Peoria, AZ
Peoria, Arizona scores best in the safety and Halloween weather categories. Specifically, Peoria ranks in the top 25 for its crime rates (264 violent crimes and 1,503 property crimes, both per 100,000 people), and the county in which it is located has the 31st-lowest daily number of new COVID-19 cases (21.51 per 100,000 residents). In terms of weather, the average number of days with rain on Halloween is zero (tied with 15 other cities for the lowest), and residents can expect an average temperature of 71 degrees Fahrenheit (14th-highest).
Data and Methodology
To find the best cities to celebrate Halloween in 2022, we analyzed 146 cities across four categories spanning 10 total metrics:
Family Friendliness
- Percentage of residents 14 years or younger. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 1-Year American Community Survey.
- Housing costs as a percentage of income. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 1-Year American Community Survey.
- Percentage of households with internet access. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 1-Year American Community Survey.
Safety
- Violent crime rate. This is the number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Data comes from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Reporting database as well as NeighborhoodScout.com.
- Property crime rate. This is the number of property crimes per 100,000 residents. Data comes from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Reporting database as well as NeighborhoodScout.com.
- Daily new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. This is the seven-day moving average of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Sept. 20, 2022. Data is measured at the county level and is from the NYTimes database.
Halloween Weather
- Average number of Halloween days with precipitation. Data comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and represents 20-year averages from 2001-2020.
- Average Halloween temperature. This is the average temperature on Oct. 31. Data comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and represents 20-year averages from 2001-2020.
Halloween Festiveness
- Concentration of candy stores. The number of candy stores (including confectionery and nut stores) per 10,000 establishments. Data is measured at the county level and comes from the 2020 County Business Patterns Survey.
- Concentration of costume shops. The number of costume shops (including clothing accessory stores, other clothing stores and formal wear and costume rental stores) per 10,000 establishments. Data is measured at the county level and comes from the 2020 County Business Patterns Survey.
First, we ranked each city in each metric, assigning equal weight to every metric except for the two crime metrics, which each received a half-weight. Then we averaged the rankings across the four categories listed above. For each category, the city with the highest average ranking received a score of 100. The city with the lowest average ranking received a score of 0. We created our final ranking by calculating each city’s average score for all four categories.
Spooky Financial Tips
- Shed light on your spending habits. Managing your budget can help you live more comfortably and save a little more (for your haunting costume and loads of sweets). Use our budget calculator to assess and adjust your current budget and learn where cutting excess expenses can maximize your income.
- Managing your future doesn’t need to feel like toil and trouble. Finding a financial advisor shouldn’t be a scary endeavor. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Questions about our study? Contact us at press@smartasset.com
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