Boston Ranked 12th Best City in America for Halloween

Beacon Hill Photo via Shutterstock

There plenty of creepy things to do in and around Boston this Halloween, from touring the crypt in the basement of the Old North Church, to searching of the Lady in Black in the haunted halls of Fort Warren on Georges Island. But apparently, all our zombie walks and 19th century charm couldn’t make the Hub an elite Halloween city.

Personal finance social network WalletHub ranked Boston the 12th best city in America for Halloween, edging out Dallas (14), St. Paul (15), Orlando (16), El Paso (17), and Las Vegas (18). New York City took top honors, followed by scenic Jersey City and Newark, New Jersey, presumably chosen for their close resemblance to post-apocalyptic hellscapes. The list’s top ten:

1. New York, New York
2. Jersey City, New Jersey
3. Newark, New Jersey
4. Gilbert, Arizona
5. Laredo, Texas
6. Irving, Texas
7. Santa Ana, California
8. Garland, Texas
9. Chandler, Arizona
10. Plano, Texas

Note the strong Texan presence here. And good for you, Gilbert, former Hay Shipping Capital of the World™!

WalletHub used 16 metrics to compile the ranking of 100 U.S. cities, taking into account the percentage of occupied housing units (that is, potential stops for trick-or-treaters), walkability, crime rate, average price of a Halloween party ticket, number of candy stores, costume stores, and bars per capita, and the weather forecast for this year’s Halloween. Boston’s projected 55-degree, partly cloudy forecast is tied with New York for first.

The worst city in America to spend your Halloween? That’d be St. Petersburg, Florida.