These four Florida cities have some of the best trick-or-treating in the country

Lianna Norman, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read
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Florida may miss out on the changing leaves of fall and cool weather that more northern states enjoy during Halloween time, but it does have some of the best trick-or-treating opportunities in the country, according to a recent study from WalletHub.

The personal finance company analyzed the 100 largest U.S. cities based across some spooky key metrics, ranging from how many costume stores there are in each area to share of potential trick-or-treat stops and trick-or-treaters.

And the findings were surprising. Salem, Massachusetts – which many consider America’s Halloween mecca –  is not a major city, so it couldn’t be included in the study. But the closest metropolitan area, Boston, was surprisingly outranked by cities in California, Nevada and Florida.

Four Florida cities made it into the top 30 best cities for trick-or-treating in the country, two made it into the top 10 and one Sunshine State city placed fourth overall.

Here’s which Florida cities ranked nationally for the best places to celebrate Halloween.

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What is the top city for trick-or-treating in Florida?

Fun for the whole family and a throwback to a more traditional Halloween celebration, Spookyville at Yesteryear Village will be held the last two weekends in October.
Fun for the whole family and a throwback to a more traditional Halloween celebration, Spookyville at Yesteryear Village will be held the last two weekends in October.

Both Miami and one of its neighboring suburbs, Hialeah, ranked in the top 10 best cities for trick-or-treating in 2023. Orlando and Tampa also made the top 50th percentile, taking 24th and 29th place, respectively.

Florida also brought home some wins in two individual categories. Hialeah placed first for the highest percentage of potential trick-or-treat stops and Orlando placed third for the most costume stores per capita.

Here are WalletHub’s rankings for the top 30 major cities in the country that are the best for trick-or-treaters:

  1. New York, New York

  2. Las Vegas, Nevada

  3. Los Angeles, California

  4. Miami, Florida

  5. Jersey City, New Jersey

  6. Anaheim, California

  7. San Diego, California

  8. Boston, Massachusetts

  9. Hialeah, Florida

  10. Gilbert, Arizona

  11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  12. Santa Ana, California

  13. San Francisco, California

  14. San Jose, California

  15. Chicago, Illinois

  16. Chula Vista, California

  17. Newark, New Jersey

  18. Sacramento, California

  19. Laredo, Texas

  20. Long Beach, California

  21. Reno, Nevada

  22. Honolulu, Hawaii

  23. Irvine, California

  24. Orlando, Florida

  25. Washington, D.C.

  26. Phoenix, Arizona

  27. Fremont, California

  28. Virginia Beach, Virginia

  29. Tampa, Florida

  30. Buffalo, New York

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What’s the average budget for Halloween?

WalletHub also measured how expensive Halloween is anticipated to be this year.

“This year, the average U.S. household is expected to spend $108.24 on Halloween expenses, from decorations to treats to costumes,” the study says. “Collectively, that’s about $12.2 billion between the 73% of households that celebrate.”

If you live in South Florida and want to get a bang for the buck you spent on Halloween preparations this year, consider one of Miami’s many neighborhoods known for being a trick-or-treater’s gold mine. Not only is Hialeah nearby, but Coral Gables, Miami Springs and Lakeview also offer some of the best trick-or-treating routes in South Florida.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best cities for Halloween trick-or-treating in Florida? Here they are