Thanksgiving Misery Index: Most Stressful States to Visit for The Holiday

By Mark Strotman Nov 20th, 2024 9:46 PM EDT

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The Halloween decorations are down and the country is getting ready for the true holiday season, with Thanksgiving right around the corner before Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa arrive in December. For many, this is a time of jubilation and warmth, a time to spend with family and loved ones creating new memories and reminiscing on old ones.

For others, it’s an absolute nightmare. Sure, they love the turkey, dressing, and potatoes, and no one can truly be mad seeing presents under a Christmas tree, but the holidays can also bring along with it plenty of stress, anxiety, quarrels, and maybe even a fight or two if things boil over just right (we’re picturing the dinner scene from The Bear, and some of you can probably relate).

There are plenty of factors that go into what builds this delicious cocktail of stress. What we did was research which states were the most stressful to be in around the holidays based on differences in political opinion, average flight costs, flight delays, and cost of food. Add it all up, and we discovered what we’re calling our Thanksgiving Misery Index. Hopefully, you find your respective state low on the list—or at least make your drink a double when you sit down at the dinner table at the end of the month.

Brace Yourself if You Live in the Northeast

If you’re traveling East, make sure you pack a comfy pillow and maybe an extra bottle. Maine topped (bottomed?) our list as the most miserable state to travel to for Thanksgiving, thanks in part to its bottom-12 marks in all four categories. It's the worst mark? The cost of Thanksgiving meals and flight delays (and the cost of those flights isn’t much better). Even the political differences scraped the bottom of the barrel, meaning there are likely some clashes in store for those heading there.

The rest of the region wasn’t much better. Virginia tied for fourth on our list but was saved from a top spot because of its relatively average prices. New Hampshire was 7^th on the list, helped out greatly (and only) by the country’s best flight delay percentage. New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania all ranked in the bottom 20, too. Maybe hug a stranger at the airport if you see them waiting to board a flight to one of those states.

Hawaii is Majestic—and Also Full of Turmoil

It’s not surprising that Hawaii ranked as the second most miserable state to travel to for Thanksgiving. We didn’t rank on weather or scenery, so they’re simply stuck with the most expensive plane ticket AND the most flight delays by percentage. Once you’re there, the meal’s going to cost you—though political differences shouldn’t be much of a factor at the dinner table.

No Surprise that Swing States Clash on the Political Front

If you’ve got a crazy uncle or a loudmouth sibling who can’t wait to analyze the 2024 Presidential Election one way or another, you’re more likely to have some clashes in swing states. Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia all have the most political differences, which makes sense based on the results from earlier this month.

Looking for some nice, peaceful conversations where everyone is on the same page? Then we hope you’re headed to Wyoming, West Virginia, North Dakota, Idaho, Oklahoma, or Vermont. Sometimes less truly is more

Open up Your Checkbooks in These States

It seems like everything’s pretty expensive these days, but you’re really going to feel it in Utah, Alabama, and Oregon. We’re not sure what to make of those correlations if any, other than it’s pretty expensive to put a meal on the table in those states. Ironically, Utah and Alabama have relatively low average flight prices—but Alabama is going to hurt on both ends.

Want to save some money at the table? Head to North Carolina, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, and Indiana. Gotta love the Midwest—even if there may be some heated political arguments at the dinner table. At least the food you’re fighting over won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

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Methodology

Bookies.com’s Thanksgiving Misery Index evaluates each state across four major stress-inducing factors: political differences, airfare costs, flight delay rates, and the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. By examining recent election outcomes, flight prices, and food expenses, the index pinpoints where visitors and hosts are likely to encounter the highest levels of tension, travel costs, and financial strain. Each category was scored from 50 to 1, with 50 representing the most stressful (worst) outcome and 1 representing the least stressful (best). These scores were then combined to determine each state’s overall ranking.

Political Differences – We analyzed this year’s presidential election results, focusing on the percentage gap between Republican and Democratic votes. States with smaller gaps score higher, reflecting greater political diversity (and likely more dinner-table debates!), while larger gaps indicate stronger political consensus and like-minded voters.

Airfare Costs – We collected average round-trip flight costs (Nov 27–30) from the six busiest U.S. airports to each state’s busiest airport, using Orlando International as an alternate for states hosting one of the top six. States with lower prices score lower, marked as “best” for affordability, while higher prices score higher, indicating pricier travel routes.

Arrival Flight Delays – Using Department of Transportation data (Nov 1–Dec 1, 2023), we ranked states by the percentage of delayed arrivals at their busiest airports. Higher delay percentages scored higher, while lower delays scored lower.

Thanksgiving Dinner Costs – Using Purdue University data, we ranked states by the cost of a Thanksgiving meal, including staples like turkey, potatoes, green beans, etc. Higher costs scored higher, reflecting greater financial strain, while lower costs scored lower.

About the Author

Mark Strotman

More About Mark

Mark is a veteran sports betting journalist who has covered the Bulls and the NBA since 2012. His work has appeared on ESPN.com, FoxSports.com, The Chicago Tribune and Yahoo Sports. He regularly provides NBA betting picks, as well as in-depth sportsbook reviews and the latest promo codes for all the major sports gambling operators, including Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and more.