Fun Freetime - 2024's Best Cities for Candle Lovers

 

What better present than a candle to make your loved one’s home smell like gingerbread, evergreen trees, or a locally inspired aroma? To light up Candle Day on Dec. 2 ahead of the gift-giving season, HVAC Gnome ranked 2024’s Best Cities for Candle Lovers. We compared the 250 biggest U.S. cities based on 3 categories. We looked at access to candle shops and local candlemakers, candlemaking classes, and supply shops, among 7 total metrics. Sniff through the 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for candle lovers below, followed by key stats from our report.

Best Cities for Candle Lovers Rank City 1 New York, NY 2 Los Angeles, CA 3 Houston, TX 4 Chicago, IL 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dallas, TX San Antonio, TX St. Louis, MO Baltimore, MD Cincinnati, OH Kansas City, MO Worst Cities for Candle Lovers Rank City 1 Thornton, CO 2 Palm Bay, FL 3 New Haven, CT 4 Fairfield, CA 5 6 7 8 (TIE) 8 (TIE) 10 Surprize, AZ Elgin, IL Sunnyvale, CA Independence, MO Arvada, CO Bridgeport, CT

Key Insights: Take a whiff of big cities like New York (No. 1), Los Angeles (No. 2), and Houston (No. 3), which finished at the top of our ranking with the most local candle shops and candlemakers. These cities also offer abundant craft stores and candlemaking classes to appease DIY types. Access to local votives in some cities like Boston (No. 91), Milwaukee (No. 84), and St. Paul, Minnesota (No. 141), doesn’t parallel the high demand. Missouri cities St. Louis (No. 7) and Kansas City (No. 10) stand out with the best access to candlemaking supply shops.  Crafty cities along the East Coast like Baltimore (No. 8) and Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 22), landed near the top thanks to their passionate candle-loving communities.  18 California cities — such as Sunnyvale (No. 244) and Fairfield (No. 247) — melted into our bottom 50 with overall scores of less than 1 point. Not only do these cities lack candle shops and candlemaking resources, but their low Google search volumes indicate an overall lack of local interest.   Helpful Links: See Where Your City Ranks Full Study Article Methodology Candle wax and soot can clog your HVAC filters, which can affect your indoor air quality. Hire a local pro through HVAC Gnome to clean or replace your filters for fresher air. HVAC Gnome is part of the Home Gnome family of home services sites.     More from HVAC Gnome:  Most Expensive Cities to Heat a Home in Winter Best Cities for Car-Free Living How Much Does HVAC Maintenance Cost in 2023? How Your HVAC System Affects Indoor Air Quality 7 Signs Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning How Often Should You Change Your HVAC Filters? How Often Should You Clean Your Air Ducts?