West Virginians decorate for Halloween more than any other southern state

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — When it comes to decorating, Halloween is the new Christmas—at least in West Virginia.

According to a recent study by Lombardo Homes , the average American will spend four hours and $131 on Halloween decorations in 2024, which is an hour and $44 more than last year. And West Virginians will spend even more than that.

The study, which was based on Google search trends and survey results, found that West Virginia is among the states decorating the most for the spooky holiday, ranking fourth only behind Utah, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Others states in Appalachia and down into the South don’t decorate like West Virginia does, according to the study—possibly because the warmer southern weather doesn’t have the same spooky vibes.

The study said that West Virginians are really interested in zombie decorations, but the top decorations nationally are skeletons and pumpkins.

Spooky and cryptid tourism has been on the rise in West Virginia. The Department of Tourism just released the West Virginia Paranormal Trail , which gives prizes to people who check in at different spooky locations across the state.

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