According to WalletHub's 2026 Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving study, cited by News-Topic, the Caledonian Record, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and themercury.com, Dallas claimed the No. 1 spot among 100 of the largest US cities, edging out Atlanta and San Antonio.

Dallas scored 68.83 points, ranking second for celebrations and traditions and ninth for Thanksgiving weather, and Texas cities occupied six of the top 20 positions overall.

The outlets report that WalletHub scored each city on 18 metrics using data collected as of Oct. 13.

Celebrations and traditions counted for 30 of the 100 possible points, followed by affordability at 25, with safety, accessibility, charitable giving and the holiday weather forecast filling out the remaining categories.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the best cities have an abundance of high-quality restaurants, places to buy festive decorations, and residents whose Google search history shows holiday excitement.

Per the syndicated report, Dallas stands out for a high number of restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars and plenty of holiday decoration shops, plus a Cowboys Thanksgiving game hosted nearly every year since 1966.

Atlanta, second at 67.07 points, ranked first for celebrations and traditions, with only 16% of its flights running late last November.

San Antonio placed third at 66.62 points, ranking first for affordability with the third-cheapest Thanksgiving dinner in the country and just a 1% chance of precipitation.

The concentration of Texas cities near the top is the striking result: the report notes Dallas, San Antonio, Arlington (No. 17), Plano, Austin and Houston all made the top 20, and it says two other Texas cities beat San Antonio's dinner prices while Laredo ranked first in both cheapest dinner and best weather.

Meanwhile, expensive-dinner cities like Honolulu, Anchorage, San Francisco and New York sit far from the value leaders.

Louisville took fourth at 64.23 points, followed by Las Vegas at 64.08 and Scottsdale at 63.44, the report states; all three tied with Orlando and Tampa for the most holiday decoration shops per capita, with 22 times as many shops per resident as last-place Columbus, Ohio.

Houston, Virginia Beach, Boston and Chesapeake completed the top 10, while San Bernardino, California, finished last with 29.79 points.

The outlets also relay travel-saving tips from academics cited in the report. Andrew Burnstine of Lynn University recommended budget airlines, alternate airports, carry-on-only packing and miles or points, while noting private rental prices climb as Thanksgiving approaches.

Marybeth Gasman of Rutgers University-New Brunswick said she begins planning in August, flies a few days early or Thanksgiving morning, checks trains, and sets a family budget. She also cautioned that convenience groceries like premade pies can double or triple a bill.