Santa Rosa among the worst cities in the United States for a staycation, WalletHub reports

Santa Rosa is one of the worst U.S. cities for a staycation, according to a new report by financial website WalletHub.

Sonoma County’s largest city ranked 176 out of 182 cities on WalletHub’s list of “2023’s Best & Worst Cities for Staycations,” posted May 31.

Honolulu, Hawaii; Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Tampa, Florida; and Salt Lake City, Utah, were the top five cities on the list.

To put together the ranking, WalletHub gathered data related to each city’s recreation, food and entertainment, and rest and relaxation options per capita. Those categories were broken down to an additional 44 metrics such as nightlife options, diversity of restaurants, average cocktail price, massage costs, miles of bicycle lanes available and quality of summer weather.

The highest ranking cities in California for a staycation were San Diego (8), and San Francisco (16). Last year, WalletHub reported San Francisco was the seventh best staycation city in the U.S., while San Diego was ninth on the list.

Though Santa Rosa’s recreation ranking was in the upper half of the list (86 out of 182), the city’s food and entertainment ranking was 169, and its rest and relaxation ranking was 173, both out of 182.

Four California cities ranked worse than Santa Rosa on the list, including Santa Ana (178), Oxnard (179), Fremont (180) and Chula Vista (182).

Staycations - the concept of taking a vacation while staying home - have become more popular than ever in the last three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a 2022 New York Times article suggested that the continuing trend is due to inflation, global uncertainty and supply chain constraints.

Looking for some close-to-home vacation ideas? Check out The Press Democrat’s gallery of 32 inspiring North Coast staycation ideas.