The holiday season is in full swing but not every place you go will be as merry as the others. Recently, financial data outlet FinanceBuzz analyzed which U.S. cities have the fewest Christmas events and holiday activities — and some California cities came out seeing green.
“Grinch”-green, that is.
To decide the ranking, FinanceBuzz scored the U.S.’ 50 biggest cities based on a wide variety of holiday-themed factors, including number of department and toy stores, Google Trends searches, and more. Cities were given scores out of a 100, with the lowest scoring being considered the “Grinchiest.”
San Diego was third among humbug cities, with FinanceBuzz noting the SoCal city’s search history shows little interest in the holidays. An analysis of San Diego’s Google searches found search volume for terms like “Christmas party,” “Christmas festival,” and “Christmas dinner,” to be among the lowest in the country.
The Grinchiest Cities in the U.S., according to FinanceBuzz:
- San Antonio, Texas — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 44.6.
Number of holiday markets per 100K: 2.9. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 43.1%. Holiday score: 32.7/100. - Jacksonville, Florida — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 41.4. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 1.6. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 48.0%. Holiday score: 33.7/100.
- San Diego, California — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 80.9.
Number of holiday markets per 100K: 1.3. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 53.5%. Holiday score: 34.8/100. - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 20.3. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 0.6. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 50.7%. Holiday score: 35.2/100.
- Louisville, Kentucky — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 56.9. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 0.8. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 64.6%. Holiday score: 35.4/100.
- Virginia Beach, Virginia — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 112.2. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 2.7. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 52.1%. Holiday score: 36.3/100.
- Los Angeles, California — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 67.6. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 2.3. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 47.2%. Holiday score: 36.4/100.
- Chicago, Illinois — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 68.5. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 2.3. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 55.7%. Holiday score: 36.5/100.
- New York, New York — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 55.4. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 1.6. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 49.4%. Holiday score: 36.8/100.
- Memphis, Tennessee — Number of holiday events and festivals per 100K: 37.2. Number of holiday markets per 100K: 0.3. Percentage of the population that donates to charity annually: 55.6%. Holiday score: 36.9/100.
FinanceBuzz also found that Los Angeles was among the handful of major U.S. cities that had a low amount of charitable volunteering throughout the year. Only 24.1% of Angelenos volunteer, the analysis found — a figure that’s among the five lowest in the U.S.
What’s more, Riverside was named to FinanceBuzz’s “Naughty List” when it comes to cities that give to charity, with only 39.9% of residents per 100,000 supporting charities in the holiday season.
Overall, here’s how the other California cities analyzed fared in their Holiday scores:
- Sacramento — Holiday score: 42.2
- San Francisco — 45.8
- San Jose — 44.0
FinanceBuzz also ranked the “jolliest” U.S. cities, which found Minneapolis, Minnesota, to have the most to offer holiday-goers. When it comes to giving, the city came out on top, with 62.1% of residents donating annually and 46% of residents volunteering throughout the year — the highest amount of any city.
