July 4th is just days away, and a record 46.9 million people are expected to travel for the holiday this year, according to AAA. In addition to taking to the road and the air, Americans are also planning to spend a good deal of money this holiday, according to personal-finance website WalletHub—the company estimates that Americans plan to spend $6.9 billion on food with at least some of that funding the approximately 150 million hot dogs that are eaten each July 4th. They also plan to spend a combined $1.6 billion on beer and wine, $825 million on fireworks, and $5.4 million on American flags.
To determine the best places to mark the occasion this year, WalletHub recently released its report on 2018’s best cities to celebrate Independence Day. WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on how well they balance holiday cost and fun. The data set of 19 key metrics ranges from average beer and wine prices to the duration of fireworks shows to Fourth of July weather forecast.
Best Cities to Celebrate July 4th, 2018
1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Chicago
4. Denver
5. Seattle
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. San Diego
9. Washington, D.C.
10. Buffalo, N.Y.
11. Dallas
12. New Orleans
13. Minneapolis
14. Las Vegas
15. Sacramento, Calif.
16. St. Louis
17. Madison, Wis.
18. San Francisco
19. Portland, Ore.
20. Boise, Idaho
