2020’s Best & Worst Cities for Staycations
Travel and tourism industries have been gutted by the COVID-19 pandemic this year. So if you are planning to stay close to home this summer, the personal-finance website WalletHub has a report on 2020’s Best & Worst Cities for Staycations.
To identify the best spots for staying local, WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 15 key indicators. It includes things like parks per capita, average home square footage, options for entertainment and relaxation, and summer weather.
Top 20 Cities for Staycations
| Overall Rank (1 = Best) |
City | Total Score | ‘Recreation’ Rank | ‘Rest & Relaxation’ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plano, TX | 66.88 | 18 | 2 |
| 2 | Boise, ID | 65.92 | 6 | 21 |
| 3 | Tampa, FL | 63.39 | 11 | 23 |
| 4 | Charleston, SC | 62.42 | 7 | 51 |
| 5 | Lincoln, NE | 62.12 | 1 | 72 |
| 6 | Fort Smith, AR | 60.87 | 32 | 20 |
| 7 | Scottsdale, AZ | 60.18 | 95 | 1 |
| 8 | Grand Prairie, TX | 59.91 | 57 | 11 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | 59.36 | 8 | 96 |
| 10 | Orlando, FL | 59.23 | 23 | 39 |
| 11 | Tallahassee, FL | 59.13 | 9 | 88 |
| 12 | Nampa, ID | 58.80 | 44 | 26 |
| 13 | Huntsville, AL | 58.69 | 35 | 32 |
| 14 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 58.33 | 4 | 120 |
| 15 | Springfield, MO | 58.20 | 27 | 44 |
| 16 | Peoria, AZ | 58.19 | 66 | 15 |
| 17 | St. Petersburg, FL | 58.13 | 15 | 60 |
| 18 | Overland Park, KS | 57.39 | 76 | 14 |
| 19 | Garland, TX | 57.33 | 63 | 22 |
| 20 | Salt Lake City, UT | 56.81 | 2 | 145 |
On the other end of the spectrum, Pearl City HI is apparently the worst for a staycation. Chula Vista CA, Warwick RI, Providence RI and Oakland CA complete the bottom five.
Other Interesting Facts
- New York City has the most parks (per square root of population), 1.474633, which is 23.9 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the fewest at 0.061587.
- San Francisco has the most bike rental facilities (per square root of population), 0.060037, which is 49.4 times more than in Detroit, the city with the fewest at 0.001215.
- San Francisco has the most walking routes (per square root of population), 39.164353, which is 31.7 times more than in El Paso, Texas, the city with the fewest at 1.234185.
- Fort Smith, Arkansas, has the lowest average price of pizza, $8.00, which is 1.9 times lower than in Stockton, California, the city with the highest at $15.25.
Conclusion
Looks like the best place to be right now is in Plano, TX. Let us know if your city is on the list, or if it should be. Also if you have any staycation tips, please share them in the comments.
