Have you been waiting for Halloween since you took down the Christmas decorations? If you’re freaky about the frightful holiday, a study by ConsumerAffairs reveals the most Halloween-obsessed states where celebrating is more than just a jack-o-lantern on the porch.
As they do each year, the ConsumerAffairs Research Team ranked the most Halloween-obsessed states based on seasonal data, online trends and other factors to calculate each state’s “Terror Tally.” According to their criteria, the top three states for celebrating Halloween are New Hampshire, Maine and Utah (yep!). Here’s the breakdown:
For New Hampshire, Halloween is all about the costumes and the seasonal spirit. New Hampshire has the most Spirit Halloween stores by population. It’s also chock full of corn mazes, haunted hayrides, ghost tours and costume stores, and the month of October is jam-packed with Halloween-related events. From the Spookville Haunted Trail in Nashua or the Haunted Winnipesaukee cruise in Laconia to the graveyard tour at Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to get your scream on.
Thanks to native son Stephen King, Maine is associated with plenty of scary stories. The state’s dense forests, rocky coastlines, and lighthouses add to its creep factor. Throughout October, you can find haunted history tours, spooky scavenger hunts and more themed events. But Maine’s biggest claim to Halloween fame is that it has the highest number of pumpkin patches per capita. You’ll certainly find the perfect pumpkin for carving here.
Utah makes the list because of its surprising obsession with scary movies. Utahns search “Halloween movies” more than any other state, according to Google search data. Utah is also the filming location for some of the Halloween movies, as well as Halloweentown High and Return to Halloweentown. The state also has the second-highest number of Spirit Halloween stores per capita, and a significant number of haunted attractions as well.
If you’re not a fan of the spookiest time of year, just head on over to Washington, California or Mississippi—these states are least festive when it comes to celebrating Halloween.
Most festive states for celebrating Halloween
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Utah
- Idaho
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- Vermont
- Indiana
- South Dakota
- Montana