Utah Cities Rank Differently For St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

A new national study suggests that while St. Patrick’s Day celebrations take place across the country, some cities are far better suited for the holiday than others. And according to the latest rankings, Utah communities fall somewhere in the middle—or near the bottom—of the list.

The personal finance website WalletHub recently compared 200 of the nation’s largest cities to determine the best and worst places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The analysis examined 15 indicators, including the number of Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, hotel prices, safety, accessibility and even the weather forecast for March 17.

America Could Spend $7 Billion Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

Nationwide, Americans are expected to spend roughly $7 billion celebrating the holiday, making St. Patrick’s Day one of the most widely observed cultural celebrations in the United States.

Cities with strong Irish heritage and established traditions dominate the top of the rankings. Boston finished first in the study, followed by Reno, Nevada, and Savannah, Georgia. Other high-ranking cities include Santa Rosa, California, Worcester, Massachusetts, Chicago and New York.

Utah cities appear much further down the list. Salt Lake City ranks 31st overall among the 200 cities included in the study, placing it in the upper half of the national rankings but well outside the top tier of St. Patrick’s Day destinations.

West Valley City, Utah’s second-largest city, appears much lower in the rankings. The city finished near the bottom in one key category, placing 199th out of 200 cities in WalletHub’s “access to bars” metric, which evaluates the availability and proximity of bars within a community.

WalletHub analysts say the best cities for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day tend to combine several advantages, including strong cultural traditions, a high concentration of Irish pubs and restaurants, affordable food and lodging, and safe conditions for large public celebrations.

The study also highlights wide differences between cities. Some communities have large Irish-American populations or long-running parades that date back more than a century, while others lack the nightlife infrastructure or cultural traditions that help make the holiday especially festive.

Read More: Weird Stuff Found In Utah's Outdoors

Even so, with celebrations taking place nationwide, Americans and Utahns will still find plenty of opportunities to wear green and enjoy the holiday—regardless of where their city lands in the rankings.

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