Top 10 Cities for Celebrating Halloween (Did Your Town Make the List?)

Whether you were one of the shoppers buying Halloween decor items in August to save money shopping early or you think spooky season should stay firmly in October, Halloween is always a fun time of year. Are some cities better for getting spooked than others, though?

To find out where the best Halloweentowns are in the United States, the FinanceBuzz team compared over 75 of the biggest U.S. cities using factors like the availability of candy stores, the number of haunted locations (both "real" and artificial), online search volume for Halloween-related terms, and more to measure each city's spooky spirit.

Here are the 10 U.S. cities with the most Halloween spirit.

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St. Louis is the only city with more candy stores relative to population than Buffalo, making the Lou the perfect city to celebrate the sweet side of Halloween. 

St. Louis can provide some genuine spooks as well, as the city has the sixth-highest number of "real" haunted locations per capita of any city.

Buffalo's relatively close proximity to Toronto gives residents increased access to Halloween-themed businesses and celebrations. 

Buffalo boasts 16.7 Spirit Halloween stores per 100,000 people, the second-highest rate in the country, while also ranking third when it comes to candy stores per capita (31.3 per 100,000). Buffalo also ranks fifth in the country in terms of Halloween parties and events per capita.

Located less than 150 miles from some of America's biggest cities, including Boston and New York, residents of Hartford are just a few hours away from Halloween shops and attractions in those metropolises, as well as everything in between. 

As a result, Hartford is among the top-ranking cities when it comes to multiple spooky season staples, including pumpkin patches, haunts (both real and fake), and costume stores per capita.

Oakland has 32.8 candy stores for every 100,000 people, a rate that is the second highest of any city, and the seventh highest rate of per capita costume shops. 

What really sets Oakland apart, however, is the fact that there are 4.6 "real" haunted locations in the city for every 100,000 people, a rate that is one of the three highest in the entire country.

No matter which city it is, Ohioans seem to love Googling Halloween topics. Cleveland searches for Halloween-specific terms on Google at a volume that is just slightly lower than Cincinnati (and Toledo), but one that is still high enough to rank as the fourth-highest of any city in the country. 

Cleveland also ranks very highly when it comes to the number of Spirit stores, pumpkin patches, and Halloween parties and events relative to the population that are available in and around the city.

Centrally located between the cities of Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Columbus, citizens of Toledo have relatively easy access to events and activities in and around all those cities as well as Toledo-specific ones. 

As a result, Toledo takes the number one spot in our rankings in terms of the number of Spirit Halloween stores per 100,000 people, ranks third for pumpkin patches per capita, and is in the top 10 when it comes to number of haunted house attractions.

Cincinnati is one of three Ohio cities in the top 10, and trails only Pittsburgh when it comes to average search volume for Halloween search terms. 

Beyond Google Trends volume, Cincy has high per capita numbers of candy stores and pumpkin patches — landing in the top five for both metrics.

No city spends more time looking up Halloween-related terms online, as Pittsburgh's average search volume for terms like "Halloween parties" and "trick-or-treating" is 77.8/100, the highest of any city in the country. 

Pittsburgh also boosts its Halloween bonafides with a bevy of candy stores — ranking fifth in the country with 23.4 stores per 100,000 people. Finally, Pittsburgh has the eighth most Halloween parties and events per capita of anywhere in the country.

Located near Los Angeles, dressing up for Halloween is a big deal in Riverside. The city boasts more costume shops per capita than any other city in the country, and the fourth most Spirit Halloween locations. 

It appears those costumes are being put to good use providing Riverside residents with seasonal scares, as Riverside has 7.2 haunted house attractions per 100,000 people, the second-highest rate of any city.

Though it may seem like a spooky surprise to many, Utahns are particularly obsessed with Halloween. With that context, it isn't surprising to see the state's capital and biggest city named as America's top Halloweentown this year. 

On a per capita basis, SLC has the second-highest number of costume shops in the country and also lands in the top 10 when it comes to candy stores, haunted houses, and pumpkin patches per 100,000 people.

You don't have to break the bank when you're buying a costume and purchasing Halloween candy. There are plenty of ways to spend smart:

• Travel to a Halloweentown and earn points. If you're not feeling the Halloween spirit where you live, equip your wallet with one of the best travel credit cards and earn points during your travels to redeem for future trips.
• Build credit with your spooky spending. Whether you're going all out with your costume or decking out your home, using one of the best credit cards for large purchases will lend to smarter spending.
• Set a Halloween budget ahead of time. Setting a budget in advance for however you choose to celebrate will ensure you don't overspend — and you don't have to use a spreadsheet to do so. Use one of our recommended budgeting apps to get started.

Between buying costumes and purchasing candy, Halloween doesn't have to scare your bank account. You can always find ways to save money on travel if you decide to visit any of these cities during spooky season.

And while the majority of America's top Halloweentowns on this list are located in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the country, cities located in the South and on the West Coast have plenty of Halloween spirit, too.