Staff Writer

October 16, 2024

Fun means something different to everyone, but some states go beyond simply offering fun—they make it a lifestyle. With this in mind, WalletHub analyzed 50 states based on 26 factors, like movie costs, access to national parks, and nightlife per capita, to find the most budget-friendly places to have a good time.

Pennsylvania was named the 13th most fun state in the nation, with a total “fun score” of 41.57 out of 100.  

WalletHub’s ranking was primarily based on two key categories: “entertainment and recreation,” worth 80 points, and “nightlife,” which contributed 20 points.

The entertainment and recreation category considered metrics such as number of attractions, ideal weather, restaurants per capita, shoreline mileage and more. Meanwhile, the nightlife category took into account elements like the average prices for beer and wine, movie ticket costs, last call times, and music festivals per capita.

The Keystone State ranked 20th for entertainment and recreation and 12th for nightlife.  

Pennsylvania boasts an impressive range of activities and attractions. The Commonwealth is home to 16 amusement parks, 124 state parks, and more than 35,000 restaurants. Autumn is a particularly fun time to visit, as the state hosts a lengthy list of fall festivals, with everything from harvest days to beer fests to lumberjack carving competitions.

Overall, the top five most fun states found by WalletHub were: 

Colorado (52.89)

Florida (65.51) 

California (65.14) 

Nevada (59.12)  

New York (58.01)