Editor’s Word: This story initially appeared on SmartAsset.com.
Whether or not they’ll use savings, tax refunds or credit cards, Individuals are poised to spend huge as soon as once more this vacation season.
In keeping with an annual survey carried out by the National Retail Federation, customers anticipate spending almost $1,000 on items, vacation objects and different non-gift purchases. Regardless of provide chain challenges that proceed to plague the economic system, the $997.73 that American adults plan to drop on the vacations this 12 months is on par with final 12 months’s common.
To seek out the most effective cities for vacation purchasing, we in contrast 100 of the most important cities within the nation throughout eight metrics in three classes: in-store purchasing accessibility, on-line purchasing accessibility and affordability. For extra info on our knowledge and the way we put it collectively, learn our knowledge and methodology part on the finish.
1. Virginia Seashore, VA
Virginia Seashore, Virginia, ranks within the high 20 for six out of the eight metrics in our examine, making it the top-rated metropolis for vacation purchasing.
The metropolis of almost 450,000 residents has the Twelfth-lowest property crime fee and ranks 14th for each proportion of households with web entry (92.81%) and revenue after housing prices ($59,054).
Virginia Seashore additionally has the Seventeenth-most retail outlets for each 100,000 individuals (131.56) and ties for the 18th-best gross sales tax fee (6.00%). Virginia Seashore additionally ranks nineteenth for the variety of retail shops for each 10,000 institutions (523.15).
2. Jersey Metropolis, NJ
Whereas Jersey Metropolis’s gross sales tax is 6.63%, consumers within the Backyard State may nonetheless get monetary savings on vacation purchasing as a result of they don’t have to pay gross sales tax on clothes purchases.
With 8.01 circumstances of COVID-19 for each 100,000 residents, Jersey Metropolis has the Seventeenth-lowest an infection fee as of Oct. 25. Jersey Metropolis additionally has the 18th-lowest property crime fee and 18th-most mail places of work for each 10,000 institutions (27.42).
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3. Chesapeake, VA
Chesapeake, Virginia, ranks strongly for its two affordability metrics. The metropolis of virtually 245,000 individuals has the examine’s Thirteenth-highest revenue after housing bills ($61,012) and ties for the 18th-lowest gross sales tax fee, 6.00%.
Chesapeake additionally ranks twenty first total for its variety of retail shops per 10,000 institutions (507.35).
4. Portland, OR
With no native or state gross sales tax, Portland, Oregon, is tied for No. 1 inside this affordability metric.
The metropolis additionally ranks seventh for its variety of retail outlets (148.61 for each 100,000 individuals) and Twentieth for its variety of mail places of work (26.99 for each 10,000 institutions). Portland additionally has the Twentieth-highest revenue after housing prices, $53,869.
5. Honolulu, HI
Honolulu has the second-most retail shops for each 10,000 institutions throughout our examine (637.72).
In the meantime, consumers in Honolulu pay 4.50% in gross sales tax, the ninth-lowest out of all 100 cities. The state capital additionally has the Eleventh-most retail outlets for each 100,000 residents (140.17) and the Eleventh-lowest COVID-19 an infection fee as of Oct. 25, with 7.48 circumstances for each 100,000 residents.
6. Anchorage, AK
Like Portland, town of Anchorage, Alaska, has zero gross sales tax, making it a superb place for vacation purchasing.
The metropolis additionally has the fourth-most mail places of work for each 10,000 institutions (31.95) and the Tenth-largest revenue after housing prices ($66,724). In the meantime, virtually 93% of households have web entry, the Twelfth-highest proportion throughout our examine.
Anchorage additionally has the 14th-most retail outlets for each 100,000 individuals (132.64).
7. Henderson, NV
Henderson, Nevada, has 554.23 retail shops for each 10,000 institutions, the Tenth-most throughout our examine.
A metropolis of greater than 320,000 residents, Henderson has the Eleventh-lowest property crime fee and the Twelfth-most mail places of work for each 10,000 institutions (28.88).
On common, residents are left with $58,175 after paying housing prices, the Sixteenth-highest revenue after housing prices in our examine.
8. Irvine, CA
Irvine, California, ranks extremely inside two particular metrics: property crime and web entry.
This Orange County metropolis of 287,000 residents has the second-lowest property crime fee in our examine and the third-highest proportion of households with web entry (95.63%).
In the meantime, Irvine has the seventh-highest revenue after housing prices ($76,062) and the Twelfth-lowest COVID-19 an infection fee as of Oct. 25 (7.72 circumstances for each 100,000 residents).
9. Lexington, KY
Lexington, Kentucky, ranks extremely for its variety of retail institutions.
The metropolitan space has the fourth-most retail outlets for each 100,000 residents (154.11) and seventh-most retail shops for each 10,000 institutions (567.07). Lexington additionally advantages from a gross sales tax fee of solely 6.00%.
10. Raleigh, NC
With 1,783 property crimes reported for each 100,000 residents, Raleigh, North Carolina, has the 14th-lowest property crime fee in our examine.
The state capital can also be 18th for web entry, as 91.94% of households are related to the worldwide internet.
Knowledge and Methodology
To seek out the most effective cities for vacation purchasing in 2021, we analyzed 100 cities throughout three classes of metrics:
In-Retailer Shopping Accessibility
- Retail shops per 10,000 institutions. Knowledge comes from the 2019 County Enterprise Patterns.
- Retail outlets per 100,000 individuals. Knowledge comes from the 2019 County Enterprise Patterns.
- COVID-19 an infection fee. That is the typical variety of circumstances per 100,000 residents. Knowledge comes from https://github.com/nytimes/covid-19-data.
On-line Shopping Accessibility
- Share of households with web entry. Knowledge comes from the Census Bureau’s 2019 1-year American Group Survey.
- Property crime fee. The variety of property crimes per 100,000 residents. Knowledge comes from the FBI’s 2019 Uniform Crime Reporting Database.
- Mail places of work per 10,000 institutions. This consists of U.S. Postal Service places of work, couriers and specific supply companies, in addition to personal mail facilities. Knowledge comes from the 2019 County Enterprise Patterns.
Affordability
- Gross sales tax fee. That is the mixed state and native gross sales tax. Vermont, New Jersey, Minnesota and Pennsylvania all totally exempt clothes purchases from gross sales tax. We handled cities in these states as having a gross sales tax fee of half that of the particular fee. For instance, in Minneapolis, the gross sales tax fee is 7.775% however we handled it as a 3.8875% tax fee.
- Earnings after housing prices. Knowledge comes from the Census Bureau’s 2019 5-year American Group Survey.
First, we ranked every metropolis in every metric, assigning equal weight to each metric. We then averaged the rankings throughout the 4 classes listed above. For every class, town with the best common rating acquired a rating of 100. The metropolis with the bottom common rating acquired a rating of 0. We created our closing rating by calculating every metropolis’s common rating for all three classes.
