New York City is the best place to celebrate Halloween in 2026, according to a new WalletHub study.
Halloween is a very popular holiday among Americans of all ages. Whether it's trick-or-treating, dressing up in costumes, haunted houses or Halloween parties, there's something for everyone to enjoy about the holiday.
The way the holiday is celebrated can vary from state to state, however. To determine the best cities for Halloween in 2026, WalletHub compared 100 of the largest cities in the United States across 20 metrics, ranging from costume stores per capita to the crime rate to the share of potential trick-or-treat stops.
"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," WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said.
Here is how New York ranked.
New York City ranked the best place to celebrate Halloween
New York City is the best city to celebrate Halloween in 2026, pulling in at the No. 1 spot out of the 100 cities included in the study, with an overall score of 71.22, according to WalletHub.
The Big Apple scored the No. 2 spot for the trick-or-treater friendliness rank, No. 4 for the Halloween fun rank and No. 29 for the Halloween weather rank. New York City has the highest population density in the country with the third-highest walkability score, making it a great place for trick-or-treaters.
The city also has the second-most Halloween costume shops, the most candy stores per capita and city residents search "Halloween parties" and other related terms on Google more than any other city. On top of that, New York City has the second-most movie theaters per capita, making seeing scary movies more accessible than in other places, and has the 16th-most haunted houses per capita.
The only other New York city that was included in the study was Buffalo, which ranked at No. 28 out of 100, with an overall score of 50. 07. Buffalo scored the No. 28 spot for the trick-or-treater friendliness rank, No. 60 for the Halloween fun rank and No. 12 for the Halloween weather rank.
WalletHub's 10 best cities for Halloween in 2026
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Las Vegas
- Chicago
- Miami
- Anaheim, California
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Newark, New Jersey
WalletHub's 10 worst cities for Halloween in 2026
- No. 100: Memphis
- No. 99: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- No. 98: Birmingham, Alabama
- No. 97: Nashville
- No. 96: Anchorage, Alaska
- No. 95: Kansas City, Missouri
- No. 94: Durham, North Carolina
- No. 93: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- No. 92: Aurora, Colorado
- No. 91: Detroit
How WalletHub assessed best places for Halloween
To determine the best cities to celebrate Halloween, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. cities across three dimensions: trick-or-treater friendliness, Halloween fun and Halloween weather.
The trick-or-treater friendliness category analyzed these factors:
- Share of potential trick-or-treaters
- Share of potential trick-or-treat stops
- Population density
- Walk score
- Crime rate
- Motor vehicle crash-related pedestrian fatality rate
- Perception of safety (safety walking along during dayling/ night)
The Halloween fun category analyzed these factors
- Google search index for "Halloween Parties"
- Halloween costume stores per capita
- Halloween party supply stores per capita
- Candy & chocolate stores per capita
- Haunted houses per capita
- Farms per capita
- Pumpkin patches per capita
- Movie theaters per capita
- Average price per movie ticket
- Bars & dance clubs per capita
- Number of amusement parks
The Halloween weather category analyzed these factors:
- Halloween temperature vs. average temperature
- Forecasted Halloween precipitation
Data used to create the ranking was collected as of Sept. 28, 2026, and was sourced from multiple entities, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Transportation - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, AccuWeather and Walk Score.
—Madison Scott is a New York Connect reporter, covering entertainment, breaking and consumer news, and trending topics with a focus on stories that matter to readers across New York state. She also has an interest in how the system helps or doesn't helpfamilies with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@USATodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NYC named best U.S. city for Halloween. See where Buffalo ranks
