New Orleans Ranked Among America’s Most Thanksgiving-Obsessed Cities

(KPEL-FM) - Every Thanksgiving, families and friends gather together to celebrate all they are thankful for, and enjoy some delicious food, along with some football. Not all cities are created equally when it comes to Thanksgiving spirit. Here in Louisiana, we have plenty for which to be thankful. We live in a state that has mild winters (comparatively speaking), a unique culture that celebrates just about everything from food to music and more, and population of generally very friendly individuals who are willing to help at the drop of a hat. Are there things we're not particularly proud of? Certainly, but what region doesn't have their own issues.

How Do You Measure Levels Of Thanksgiving Obsession?

There are a lot of statistics that can be analyzed and interpreted to mean different things. One measure of 'obsession' is the volume of searches on the internet for a particular topic. Google is very handy when it comes to digging into that information with Google Trends. Interested individuals can identify what a particular state is looking for in terms of Google search results. Online-Casinos.com did such an analysis of Google data to find the most Thanksgiving obsessed states. Search terms surrounding Thanksgiving including Thanksgiving food, Thanksgiving parade, even Thanksgiving decorations were measured in the 30 largest cities by population and compared the search frequency based on the volume of search terms per 10,000 people in the cities.

Which are the Most Thanksgiving-obsessed Cities in America?

Taking the top spot (according to this particular statistical study) is Las Vegas, Nevada. With a population of 2,337,000, they had an average of 555 Google searches for Thanksgiving terms around Thanksgiving season. Second on the list is Austin, Texas. Austin has a population of 2,473,000 and an average of Google Thanksgiving search terms per 10,000 of 549.

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Louisiana is represented in the top 10 most Thanksgiving-obsessed cities with the 3rd ranked New Orleans. Their population of 962,000 combined with the volume of search terms totaling 48,590 makes a ratio of 542.

Read More: Louisiana's Weather Forecast for Thanksgiving 2025

Also: Fried Turkey Invented in This Louisiana Town

Thanksgiving-obsessed vs. Best Places to celebrate Thanksgiving

While Google search results can be an indicator of interest in the topic of Thanksgiving, it may not equate to the best places to celebrate the holiday. That's where WalletHub steps in. Their measurement to rate the best cities to celebrate Thanksgiving had less to do with search results as it did using key points including Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions, affordability, safety and accessibility, giving thanks, and the Thanksgiving forecast. They then created 18 key categories from the above concepts and graded each on a 100-point scale. These results definitely differed from the most obsessed cities list.

1. San Antonio
2. Atlanta
3. Virginia Beach, Virginia
4. Dallas
5. Scottsdale, Arizona
6. Irving, Texas
7. Plano, Texas
8. Louisville, Kentucky
9. Las Vegas
10. Chesapeake, Virginia

On the Best Places to Celebrate Thanksgiving, New Orleans ranked #79 with a total score of 45.26. You can check out the full list of Best Cities for Thanksgiving by visiting the Wallethub website. Whether you're hitting the road this Thanksgiving or staying home here in the great state of Louisiana, take time to be thankful for the blessings you've received over the past year.