The Best US Cities for an Easter Celebration

Whether or not you choose to celebrate, the Easter holiday often signals the unofficial start of spring. As a time to be spent with loved ones having lots of fun and making lasting memories, Easter can also inspire travel. WalletHub recently compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across a handful of key metrics indicating an ideal Easter Celebration in 2022.

The personal finance website looked at weather and kid-friendliness but gave the most weight to Easter Observers (50 out of 100 points) and Easter Traditions (30 out of 100 points), two categories that take into account the share of Christian populations and churches per capita as well as Google search interest for "Easter Celebration," brunch restaurants per capita and meal costs, among several other factors.

In addition to affordability, the comprehensive study also weighs safety with the final score factoring in the percentage of residents age 12 and over who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Here are the top 10 cities for an Easter Celebration in 2022.

Rounding out the top 10 best U.S. cities for Easter in 2022, Honolulu is tied for the most flower and gift shops and candy and chocolate stores per capita this spring. The Hawaiian capital ranks ninth overall for Easter Traditions, a category that considers brunch restaurants per capita, meal costs, percentage of fully vaccinated residents (age 12 and over) and Google search interest for "Easter Celebration."

Narrowly edging out Honolulu by just 0.01, the Big Easy placed an impressive 15th in the Easter Observers category, which carries the most weight (50 out of 100 points) and considers the share of the Christian population and the number of churches per capita.

Eighth-ranked El Paso, Texas ranks 13th nationwide for Easter Weather, a category that takes into account forecasted precipitation for Easter and the difference between forecasted and normal temperatures on Easter Sunday.

In the Northeast, Buffalo can't compete with El Paso when it comes to weather, but the city does rank fourth for Easter Observers. That's the third-highest ranking in that category for any city in this year's top 10.

One of two Ohio cities to make the top six, Cleveland ranks seventh for Easter Observers, 25th for Easter Traditions and a surprising 48th for Easter Weather in 2022. Nonetheless, the city has some work to do when it comes to catering to the youngest Easter revelers, ranking just 58th for Kids' Easter.

St. Louis is arguably the most consistent city in the top 10 this year as it doesn't rank worse than 35th in any of the four categories analyzed. St. Louis finished sixth for Easter Observers, 21st for Easter Weather, 27th for Easter Traditions and 35th for Kid's Easter, which considers acres of parkland and Easter egg hunt events per capita as well as the share of children age nine and under. Of cities to make the top 10, only Honolulu fared better for Kids' Easter.

Cincinnati is one of only three cities among the 100 that WalletHub examined to rank inside the top 15 for both Easter Observers (11th) and Easter Traditions (14th) for 2022. That level of consistency makes it an ideal Midwest setting for a mid-April celebration.

The Theme Park Capital of the World is the best U.S. city for Easter Traditions, WalletHub found. Orlando is tied for the most flower and gift shops per capita, ranks fifth for the most candy and chocolate stores per capita and is home to the third-most churches per capita. The city's plethora of family-friendly attractions can't be overlooked either.

Birmingham is home to the most churches per capita and the highest share of Christian population of the 100 largest U.S. cities, propelling it to number one in the all-important category of Easter Observers. Nonetheless, Birmingham ranks just 74th for Easter Traditions, which is by far the lowest of any city in the top 10.

Pittsburgh is the number one city for an Easter Celebration in 2022, based on WalletHub's research. Ranking second for Easter Observers and third for Easter Traditions, the Steel City is home to the fourth-highest share of Christian population, the fifth-most churches per capita and the fourth-most candy and chocolate stores per capita.