Worcester Ranks in Top 50 Cities in America for St. Patrick’s Day
Thursday, March 07, 2019
GoLocalWorcester Lifestyle Team
Worcester is ranked as one of the best cities for St. Patrick's Day. |
So where does Worcester rank among best cities to celebrate?
According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Worcester is ranked as the 46h best city in the U.S. for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations out of 200 ranked cities.
“What began as a Catholic feast day and gained more recognition with a parade in the 18th Century is today one of America’s biggest cultural holidays. More than 31 million people in the U.S. claim Irish ancestry – that’s over six and a half times the population of Ireland. As this lucky group of people expanded over the centuries, so too did American St. Paddy’s Day traditions. Chicago, for instance, gained fame for dyeing its river green, while other places are now known for their elaborate pageants, pub crawls or long processions of marching bagpipers. This year, Americans are projected to spend $5.6 billion on the holiday,” said WalletHub.
Worcester’s Rankings
- 19th Best - St. Patrick’s Day Traditions
- 180th Best - Costs
- 36th Best - Safety & Accessibility
- 164th Best - St. Patrick’s Day Weather
- 3rd - Highest % of Irish Population
The Rankings
Worcester is ranked behind Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Yonkers, New York, who rank 44th and 45th respectively.
Worcester is ranked ahead of Lakewood, Colorado, and Akron, Ohio, who rank 47th and 48 respectively.
Chicago, Illinois is ranked as the best city for St. Patrick’s Day, while Moreno Valley, California is ranked as the worst.
See the full rankings in the map below
The Method
In order to determine the best places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, WalletHub compared 200 of the most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions: 1) St. Patrick’s Day Traditions, 2) Costs, 3) Safety & Accessibility and 4) St. Patrick’s Day Weather.
They evaluated those dimensions using 17 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best conditions for celebrating the holiday.
WalletHub then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate the overall score and ranking.
St. Patrick’s Day Traditions – Total Points: 50
- St. Patrick’s Day Parades: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Length of St. Patrick’s Day History: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- St. Patrick’s Day Parties & Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Share of Irish Population: Triple Weight (~13.64 Points)
- Irish Pubs & Restaurants per Capita*: Triple Weight (~13.64 Points)
- Access to Bars: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Google Search Interest for “St. Patrick’s Day Events”: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
Costs – Total Points: 20
- Average Price for St. Patrick’s Day Party Ticket: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Average Beer Price: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Lowest Price of a Three-Star Hotel on St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Affordable 4+ Star Irish Pubs & Restaurants: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Safety & Accessibility – Total Points: 20
- Crime Rate: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- DUI-Related Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Crashes per Capita: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Traffic Congestion: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Walkability: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
St. Patrick’s Day Weather – Total Points: 10
- Forecasted vs. Average Temperature for St. Patrick’s Day: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Forecasted Precipitations for St. Patrick’s Day: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)