Birmingham, Alabama, has been named the best city in the United States to celebrate Easter in 2026, according to a new ranking by personal finance website WalletHub.
The analysis compared the 100 largest American cities across 11 metrics, ranging from the concentration of churches and Christian population share to candy shops, brunch restaurants, parkland, and forecast weather conditions.
With 80% of Americans expected to mark the holiday this year and consumer spending projected to reach nearly $25 billion, according to the National Retail Federation, Easter remains one of the country’s biggest consumer events. WalletHub’s ranking aims to identify which cities offer the richest mix of religious observance, family activities, festive shopping, and seasonal weather.
Birmingham claimed the top spot primarily on the strength of its religious identity. The city ranks first nationally for churches per capita and has one of the highest shares of Christian residents in the country, with more than 52% of the population identifying as Christian. That combination puts it ahead of larger, better-known cities for the religious dimension of the holiday.
“The best cities for Easter cater to the religious nature of the holiday by offering plenty of opportunities for Christians to attend services, and they also provide the resources for people to have a great time with their family regardless of religious affiliation. That means lots of places to get some sweet treats or dine out, as well as good weather conditions and nice open spaces for Easter egg hunts,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, took second place, finishing fourth for Easter observers, second for Easter traditions, and offering some of the most affordable restaurant meals for two in the country. The city also ranked highly for candy and chocolate shops per capita and for flower and gift shops, making it a strong all-round option for families. New Orleans, Louisiana, claimed third, boosted by the second-highest share of Christian population in the study at over 58%, as well as the second-highest number of brunch restaurants per capita.
The top 10 cities in the ranking are:
- Birmingham, AL — Ranked 1st for Easter observers; highest number of churches per capita
- Pittsburgh, PA — Strong across traditions, affordability, and sweet treat availability
- New Orleans, LA — Second-highest Christian population share; strong brunch scene
- Las Vegas, NV — Ranked 3rd for Easter weather and 3rd for Easter traditions
- Buffalo, NY — Ranked 2nd for Easter observers nationally
- Orlando, FL — Ranked 1st in the country for Easter traditions
- Atlanta, GA — Top 10 for Easter traditions; strong overall balance
- El Paso, TX — Ranked 7th for Easter observers and 11th for Easter weather
- St. Louis, MO — Ranked 5th for Easter traditions; strong observer score
- Albuquerque, NM — Ranked 15th for Easter observers; top 25 for Easter weather
The ranking is divided into four weighted dimensions. Easter Observers, which measures Christian population share and churches per capita, carries the heaviest weight at 50 points out of 100. Easter Traditions, worth 30 points, captures online search interest for Easter activities, restaurant meal costs, brunch availability, and candy, chocolate, flower and gift shops. Kids’ Easter accounts for 10 points, measured by the share of children aged 9 and under and acres of parkland per capita. Easter Weather makes up the final 10 points, based on forecast temperature and precipitation for Easter Sunday.
Several well-known cities ranked considerably lower than their profiles might suggest. New York placed 86th, Chicago 50th, and Los Angeles 35th. Boston finished 70th, while Washington DC came in 72nd. By contrast, smaller cities with strong religious communities and family-oriented infrastructure consistently outperformed major metropolitan centres in the overall scores.
At the bottom of the ranking, Hialeah, Florida, placed 100th, with the lowest score for Easter observers and the second-lowest for Easter traditions. North Las Vegas, Nevada, ranked 96th despite its proximity to Las Vegas, finishing last for Easter observers and bottom for Easter traditions as well.
The data underpinning the index was collected on 3 March 2026 from sources including the US Census Bureau, the Association of Religion Data Archives, The Trust for Public Land, Yelp, Google, Numbeo, and AccuWeather. Read the full report.
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
