Detailed Findings & Methodology

Some neighborhoods with a reputation for festive lighting such as Dyker Heights in Brooklyn have drawn so many visitors over the years that holiday-light mania has overwhelmed the daily lives of local residents. Many complain about traffic, noise, and garbage that they claim has been generated from visitors. Some residents say they can’t even get out of their driveway in December because of the traffic.

In some areas, holiday lighting has stirred fierce competition, with town councils offering awards for the best decorated house. The intense interest in holiday lighting has led to the creation of a limited-run reality television show titled “The Great Christmas Light Fight’’ that premiered four years ago. The show awards $300,000 in prizes.

The lights may be festive and can put people in a holiday mood, but towns do have their limits.  For example, residents of Aurora, Illinois, face a fine of $50 if they do not take their lights down by February 25. Some homeowners associations across the country ban outdoor light displays altogether.

Exuberance in putting up the lights can lead to injury. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that in November and December of 2014, an estimated 13,000 people were treated in emergency rooms across the U.S. for injuries connected with holiday lights, Christmas trees, ornaments, and other decorations.

To identify the neighborhoods with the most outrageous Christmas lights in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a range of sources, including local news reports, private image galleries, and holiday light display award archives. The number of residential housing units and median home value in each area are for the associated ZIP code as of the third quarter of 2017 provided by housing market data company Attom Data Solutions. Average statewide monthly residential electric bills are for 2016 and came from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s annual electric power industry report.