LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — If shopping is your passion, there’s no better place in America than Las Vegas to spend Christmas this year.
That’s according to WalletHub, which ranked cities for five categories to determine the best cities for Christmas 2022. Las Vegas ranked No. 1 for shopping, and No. 3 overall, behind Seattle and Atlanta, and just ahead of Pittsburgh and Orlando. The full top 10 and their rankings in each category:
Henderson ranked No. 98 on the list, with North Las Vegas close behind at No. 100. The best score for both: cost.
Las Vegas also ranked third in the nation for best place to spend New Year’s Eve, behind New York and Orlando.
The WalletHub survey ranked the 100 biggest cities in the U.S. based on “32 key indicators of a festive and affordable Christmas.”
Here’s a breakdown on what figured into each category:
- Traditions & Fun – Total Points: 20
- Ranking on Top 25 Destinations for Christmas: Double Weight (~2.67 Points)
- Note: This metric is based on advance hotel reservations made on priceline.com and measures the ranking of the city among the top 25 Christmas destinations.
- Christmas Events per Capita: Double Weight (~2.67 Points) Note: “Events” include festivals, performances and galas.
- Google Search Interest for ‘Christmas Celebration’: Full Weight (~1.33 Points) Note: This metric measures the real intent of the population to find information about the following search terms: “Christmas party”, “Christmas light show”, “Christmas market”, “Christmas concert”, “Christmas festival” and “Christmas dinner”. “Real intent” is measured using the average monthly search volumes for those specific terms.
- Christmas Tree Farms per Capita: Full Weight (~1.33 Points) Note: “Christmas tree farms” refers to Christmas tree gardens, lots and selling points.
- Bakeries per Capita: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
- Restaurants per Capita: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
- Diversity of Restaurants: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
- Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
- Ice Skating Rinks per Capita: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
- Nightlife Options per Capita: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
- Music Venues per Capita: Full Weight (~1.33 Points) Note: Many cities host Christmas concerts during the holiday season.
- Percentage of Residents Who Are Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19: Double Weight (~2.67 Points)
- Observance – Total Points: 20
- Share of Christian Population: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Churches per Capita: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Generosity – Total Points: 20
- Food Banks per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points) Share of Income Donated to Charity: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
- Share of Population Collecting/Distributing Food & Clothes for the Needy: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
- Online Giving per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
- Christmas Spirit: Full Weight (~4.00 Points) Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Most Caring Cities” ranking.
- Shopping – Total Points: 20
- Christmas Markets per Capita: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Gift Shops per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Shopping Centers & Outlets per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Toy Stores & Hobby Shops per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Candy Stores & Chocolatiers per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Cards & Stationery Shops per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Holiday Decorations Shops & Holiday Decorating Services per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Costs – Total Points: 20
- Average Price per Christmas Party Ticket: Double Weight (~5.71 Points)
- Cost of Three-Star Hotel Room: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- Restaurant Meal Costs: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- Number of Affordable, High-Quality Restaurants: Full Weight (~2.86 Points) Note: “High-Quality Restaurants” include those with ratings of 4.5 stars or higher.
- Average Beverage Price: Full Weight (~2.86 Points) Note: “Beverage” refers to beer and wine.
- Average Price for Two Tickets to the Theater: Full Weight (~2.86. Points) Note: Some cities offer a wide range of Christmas-themed performances which one can enjoy with friends or family.
WalletHub collected data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Corporation for National and Community Service, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Council for Community and Economic Research, The U.S. Religion Census , Priceline, Eventbrite, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Kayak, Numbeo, Google Ads, Expatistan, Internal Revenue Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WalletHub research.