Heather Pelat, Media General – WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) – Seattle, Minneapolis and New Orleans top the list of best U.S. cities for Fourth of July celebrations, according to a new list from WalletHub.
WalletHub ranked the nation's 100 largest cities on how well they balance holiday cost and fun, using 16 different metrics including duration of fireworks shows, average gas prices, beer and wine costs and weather forecasts.
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"Nothing is more American than going all out on the Fourth of July," WalletHub's Richie Bernardo wrote. "We grill, we drink and we blow stuff up. Freedom isn't free."
With an overall score of 76.25, Seattle topped the list followed by Minneapolis at No. 2 (73.91) and New Orleans at No. 3 (72.60).
Washington, DC (71.91) and Portland (71.76) rounded out the top five.
Laredo, Texas, ranked last with a score of 35.58.
View the complete list at WalletHub.com and click on the map below to see each city's ranking.
American households are projected to spend an average of $370.75 on Fourth of July festivities this year, up 7% from 2015.
WalletHub reports that figure includes more than $1 billion in beer, 150 million hot dogs, 700 million pounds of chicken and 190 million pounds of beef.