Top 20 Most Fun States in America

With summer just around the corner and 85% of Americans planning to take a summer trip. This study reveals the top 20 most fun states in America.

The personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Most Fun States in America.

Some states make having fun a part of their lifestyle, and they offer countless activities that cater to different interests like sports and outdoor recreation, or movie-watching. 

To determine the states offering the greatest variety and most cost-effective options for enjoyment, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 26 key metrics. The data set ranges from movie costs to accessibility of national parks to nightlife options per capita.

Key Stats

• California has the most movie theaters (per square root of population), 0.081193, which is 5.7 times more than in Delaware, the state with the fewest at 0.014129.
   
• California has the most restaurants (per square root of population), 4.869654, which is 7.9 times more than in Alaska, the state with the fewest at 0.615474.
   
• Texas has the most amusement parks (per square root of population), 0.013216, which is 15.9 times more than in Hawaii, the state with the fewest at 0.000829.
   
• Alaska has the highest personal spending on recreation services per capita, $2,268, which is 2.6 times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest at $875. 

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665

Methodology

In order to determine the most fun states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key categories, “Entertainment & Recreation” and “Nightlife.”

We evaluated those categories using 26 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 indicating the greatest number and variety of fun and cost-effective options.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at only the city level, and in such cases we calculated a weighted average based on the size of the city population and we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.

Entertainment & Recreation – Total Points: 80

• Number of Attractions*: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
• Variety of Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Establishments: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
• Ideal Weather*: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking.
• Restaurants per Capita**: Double Weight (~5.61 Points)
• Amusement Parks per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Movie Theaters per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Arcades per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Fitness Centers per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Skiing Facilities per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Marinas per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
• Shoreline Mileage: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
  Note: Shoreline Mileage of the outer coast includes offshore islands, sounds, bays, rivers, and creeks to the head of tidewater or to a point where tidal waters narrow to a width of 100 feet. For the Great Lakes, shoreline mileage was measured in 1970 by the International Coordinating Committee on Great Lakes Basic Hydraulic and Hydrologic Data and cross-referenced with U.S. Lake Survey measurements for each state.
• Beach Quality: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
  Note: This metrics includes the beach access, water quality and the status of surfing areas.
• Access to Scenic Byways: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
  Note: This metrics includes both the Number of Scenic Byways and the Length of Scenic Byways.
• Number of State Fairs & Events per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
• Access to National Parks: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
  Note: This metrics includes both the number and the gross area of national parks per capita.
• Personal Spending on Recreation Services per Capita: Double Weight (~5.61 Points)
• State & Local Direct General Expenditures on Parks & Recreation per Capita: Triple Weight (~8.42 Points)

Nightlife – Total Points: 20

• Average Beer & Wine Price*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Movie Costs*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Nightlife Options per Capita**: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
• “Access to Bars” Grade: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
  Note: This grade is a combination of bars per capita and bars per square mile, a measure of both availability (per capita) and proximity (per square mile).
• Time of Last Call: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Music Festivals per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Casinos per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Park Service, Council for Community and Economic Research, American Gaming Association, TripAdvisor, Beachapedia, America’s Scenic Byways, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, CarnivalWarehouse.com, Music Festival Wizard, Discotech and WalletHub research.

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