Halloween is almost here, so that means millions of Americans are preparing to dress up in costumes, visit haunted houses, carve pumpkins and eat too much candy. However, depending on where you live, your Halloween experience might be significantly better, or worse, than someone else’s.
At least that’s what a new study ranking America’s 100 largest cities to determine the best places to celebrate Halloween in 2026 says.
“Halloween holds a big place in American popular culture, and we collectively spend billions of dollars celebrating every year,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst. “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.”
The study by WalletHub compared cities using 20 metrics, including the number of costume stores, haunted houses, and candy shops; crime rates; walkability; and weather forecasts.
New York City Named Best Big City In America For Halloween
New York City finished first overall with a score of 71.22 out of 100, followed by Los Angeles (61.11) and Jersey City, New Jersey (60.58). Rounding out the top 10 were Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Anaheim, Boston, San Francisco and Newark.
New York earned its top ranking thanks in part to having the most candy stores per capita, the second-most costume shops and the third-highest walkability score.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, ranked first for movie theaters per capita and sixth for haunted houses. Jersey City benefited from having the second-highest population density and fourth-highest walkability score.
As for the worst cities to celebrate Halloween, Memphis finished dead last at No. 100. Not surprising, considering another recent study ranked Memphis as the most dangerous big city in the United States.
Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Nashville and Anchorage rounded out the bottom five. Nashville also ranked in the bottom 10 for least safe big cities. Neither is the kind of list you want your city to make.
Kansas City, Durham, Albuquerque, Aurora (Colorado), and Detroit (another one of the least-safe big cities) completed the bottom 10. (Check out the full list here.)
Americans Are Spending Billions Of Dollars On Halloween
According to WalletHub, trick-or-treater friendliness accounted for 60% of each city’s overall score, while Halloween activities made up 30% and weather accounted for the remaining 10%.
The National Retail Federation estimates Americans will spend $13.5 billion celebrating Halloween this year. A significant portion of that money will undoubtedly go toward candy.
As previously reported, a 2026 study of the most popular Halloween candy in each state found M&M’s ranked first nationally, followed by Sour Patch Kids and Skittles. Interestingly, candy corn was still the most popular choice in three states. Somehow.
Another recent survey found that Americans buy about 745.8 million pounds of Halloween candy each year. The same report revealed that most Americans eat their Halloween candy stash before October 31, with many doing it twice.
So no matter where your city ranks, you’ll likely have to make another trip to the candy aisle before Saturday.