WalletHub ranks 3 Florida cities among top 20 places to celebrate Halloween in U.S.

When it comes to Halloween fun, friendliness and weather, three Florida cities are among the top 20 places in the U.S. to celebrate.

WalletHub^[1], a personal finance company, conducted the analysis^[2], basing its rankings on factors such as costume stores per capita, crime rates and share of trick-or-treat stops. The study analyzed the 100 largest U.S. cities, using those factors to develop an overall Halloween score.

Miami came in sixth overall on the list, earning a score of 57.18. The South Florida city came in sixth for its “fun rank” but finished 33rd among the friendliest places to trick-or-treat. The weather ranking was 32nd in the country.

Orlando placed 11th on the WalletHub list, with a score of 53.11. But Orlando was ranked second in the nation on the Halloween fun factor. The Central Florida metropolis placed 23rd for weather but landed at 87th in the country for Halloween friendliness.

Hialeah came in as the 19th-best city for Halloween activities, with a 51.4 score. It was ranked ninth for trick-or-treat friendliness and 42nd for weather on the holiday. Hialeah was only ranked 82nd for its fun factor.

Ultimately, safety factors were among the most influential elements for developing the scores.

“Halloween holds a big place in American popular culture, and we collectively spend billions of dollars celebrating every year. 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,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

“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.”

New York City topped the list with an overall Halloween score of 71.38. That was followed by Jersey City, New Jersey, in second and Los Angeles in third.

Last on the list of 100 was Memphis, Tennessee, with a Halloween score of 30.91. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, placed 99th, with Birmingham, Alabama, coming in at 98th.