Dallas Is America's No. 1 City for Thanksgiving in 2026, WalletHub Says — First Time at the Head of the Table
WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities in America on 18 measures and put Dallas first for Thanksgiving 2026, with a score of 68.83 — second in the nation for celebrations and traditions, ninth for holiday weather, and home to an 'extremely high number' of top-rated restaurants. It is the city's first time at No. 1, up from fourth last year.
DALLAS — Dallas is taking a seat at the head of the table. WalletHub's 2026 ranking of the best places to go for Thanksgiving puts Dallas No. 1 in America, the first time the city has taken the top spot — it ranked fourth in 2025. The personal-finance site compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 18 metrics, from the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner and the share of delayed flights to volunteer opportunities per capita and the forecasted precipitation, and Dallas came out with a total score of 68.83, ahead of Atlanta at 67.07 and San Antonio at 66.62.
The category ranks tell the local story. Dallas is No. 2 in the nation for celebrations and traditions — WalletHub credits its numerous holiday happenings and what the report calls an extremely high number of restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars, with dining affordability ranked 11th. It stands ninth for its Thanksgiving weather forecast, 24th for giving thanks — the report counts the 25th-most charities per capita — and 11th for affordability overall. Its one soft mark is safety and accessibility, at 72nd, which the city's total was still strong enough to absorb.
"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. The study arrives as Americans plan one of the busiest travel stretches of the year; WalletHub estimates consumers spent $338 on average between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday last year.
North Texas fills the list around its winner. Plano ranks No. 12, Arlington No. 17, Fort Worth No. 47, Irving No. 55 and Garland No. 67, and Texas holds three of the top seven — Dallas first, San Antonio third (last year's winner, on other local accounts of the study) and Houston seventh. For a city that spends November arguing about zoning, traffic and the Cowboys' injury report, it is a simpler headline: this year, by the numbers WalletHub keeps, the best place in America to give thanks is here.
