By james art 
Spirit Halloween to turn 10 locations into Christmas shops
Spirit Halloween, a seasonal retailer, is opening more than 1,500 stores nationwide with an estimated $11.6 billion in Halloween spending this year.
Florida may miss out on the changing fall leaves and chilly weather that more northern states enjoy during Halloween, but it has some of the best treats in the country, according to a 2023 survey by the personal finance company WalletHub.
And WalletHub’s 2024 survey of the best US cities to celebrate Halloween ranked the same Florida neighborhoods that appeared on its 2023 “best trick or treat” list high in the top 20 of the best places to get spooky this Halloween.
The personal finance company analyzed the 100 largest U.S. cities based on 20 key metrics, ranging from how many costume shops there are in each area to sharing potential trick-or-treat and trick-or-treat stops.
And for the second year in a row, Salem, Massachusetts — which many consider a Halloween mecca — isn’t a big city, so it couldn’t be included in the survey. Also for the second year in a row, Salem’s closest metropolitan area, Boston, was overtaken by cities in California, Nevada, New Jersey, Illinois, New York and Florida.
Once again, four Florida cities made it into the top 30 best cities to celebrate Halloween this year – the same four that made last year’s list of best treats. And this year, Miami ranked higher on the list, in the top three.
Here are which Florida cities ranked nationally for the best places to celebrate Halloween and why.
Which American city celebrates Halloween the best?
New York is the best city to celebrate Halloween, according to WalletHub’s survey. Jersey City, New Jersey took second place and Miami, Florida took third. And the reason New York took first place is quite simple: high population density and good walkability.
“New York City is the best place for Halloween, boasting the second largest number of Halloween costume shops and the most candy stores per capita. Its residents also Google “Halloween parties” and related terms more than people in any other city,” the study said.
“On top of that, New York has the highest population density in the country and is the third most mobile city. That means it’s easy to go on a prank and get a lot of candy.”
The other Florida cities that made the top 30 were Hialeah at 14th, Orlando at 16th and Tampa at 23rd. Last year, Miami ranked fourth overall, and Orlando and Tampa ranked much lower on the top 30 list.
Here are WalletHub’s top 20 cities to celebrate Halloween in 2024:
- New York, New York
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Miami, Florida
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Chicago, Illinois
- Los Angeles, California
- Washington, DC
- Anaheim, California
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Gilbert, Arizona
- Newark, New Jersey
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- Hialeah, Florida
- Santa Ana, California
- Orlando, Florida
- Laredo, Texas
- Buffalo, New York
- San Jose, California
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
What is the number one trick or treat city in Florida?
Hialeah remains one of the top cities in the country for trick-or-treaters this year, according to the survey.
Both Miami and Hialeah, one of its neighboring suburbs, ranked in the top 10 cities for trick-or-treating in 2023. This year, both Miami and Hialeah were ranked in the top 15 cities for partying Halloween overall and Hialeah was the only Florida City to rank in the top 10 in the treat friendly category.
Miami’s ranking rose from fourth overall to third, and Hialeah dropped to fourteenth, though it still ranked as one of the top cities for potential trick-or-treating stops.
“Miami is the third best city for Halloween and has a very high number of pumpkin patches and Halloween party shops per capita. It also has the ninth most Halloween costume stores and the ninth most candy stores per capita, making it easy to pick up all the holiday essentials,” the study said.
“Miami also has a lot of places to go for a walk, with the sixth highest population density in the nation. It is also the sixth most mobile city.”
Hialeah ranked first for the highest percentage of potential trick-or-treat stops, and Orlando ranked fifth for the most costume shops per capita (down two rankings from last year).