Roswell among U.S. cities with highest holiday budgets, analysis finds
Nearly 1 in 4 people are still paying off last year’s holiday debt, with this year’s shopping about to begin in full force. Obviously, not everyone has the same budget for food, decorations and gifts.
To determine who has the biggest holiday budget, WalletHub compared 558 U.S. cities across five key metrics: income, age, debt-to-income ratio; monthly income-to-monthly expenses ratio; and savings-to-monthly expenses ratio.
The financial website said calculations are based on its “proprietary algorithm, which considers the aforementioned five factors to determine the holiday budget for a particular city.”
One Georgia city made it into the top 20. Roswell’s average budget, WalletHub calculated, came in at No. 17 with $3,115. Georgia’s next highest budget as Atlanta, which finished No. 92 with $1,740.
Our picks this week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is your No. 1 source for things to do, see, make, buy and eat through the holidays. Here are our recommendations:
LISTEN: What’s on Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ holiday playlist?
DRINK: Here’s the holiday spirit Atlanta’s sipping this Christmas
DO: Seven places to show off your ice skating moves in and around Atlanta
VISIT: Full AJC holiday guide for things to do, buy and enjoy
For our full coverage of holiday events around metro Atlanta, check out the AJC’s Things to Do page.
Seven other Peach State cities made the list, but with only a fraction of Roswell’s budget:
- No. 461: Warner Robins, $831
- No. 492: Columbus, $768
- No. 494: Savannah, $764
- No. 519: Augusta, $717
- No. 534: Macon-Bibb County, $685
- No. 535: Athens, $682
- No. 552: Albany, $576
“It is easy for people to get wrapped up in the numerous holiday promotions that retailers merchandise through attractive displays, mailouts, catalogs, giftsets, limited holiday editions, etc.,” said Pia A. Albinsson, a professor of marketing at Appalachian State University.
To keep from spending too much money, she added: “It may be advantageous to write a list of the people you are buying gifts for, set a predetermined amount about per person that fits your budget, and follow the list. Without a list, we may be tempted to buy more than we intend and thereby overspend.”
About the Author
Nancy Clanton is a lead producer for The AJC's platforms team, but also writes stories about health, travel, events and entertainment. A native of Knoxville and graduate of the University of Tennessee, she has worked at the AJC for 24 years.
