2023’s Best Cities for Cookie Lovers

Whether you prefer gingerbread, springerle, or chunky chocolate chip, freshly baked cookies are a heartwarming trademark of the holiday season.

So, what cities are serving up the best cookies in the U.S.?

To find out, Lawn Love ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Cookie Lovers.

They looked for cities with great access to tasty cookies, including late-night cookie vendors and Girl Scout Cookie booths. They also considered TimeOut’s list of “The best cookies in the US,” as well as local interest indicated by Google searches.

Best Cities for Cookie Lovers
Rank	City
1	Seattle, WA
2	New York, NY
3	Washington, DC
4	Boston, MA
5	San Francisco, CA
6	Sacramento, CA
7	Paterson, NJ
8	Los Angeles, CA
9	Orange, CA
10	Fresno, CA

 

Worst Cities for Cookie Lovers
Rank	City
1	Amarillo, TX
2	Montgomery, AL
3	Anchorage, AK
4	Durham, NC
5	Rockford, IL
6	Jackson, MS
7	Hampton, VA
8	Bridgeport, CT
9	New Orleans, LA
10	Augusta, GA

The upshot

Pacific panaderías

West Coast cities took six of our top 10 spots, with Seattle leading the way at No. 1. Seattle has top-quality cookies, with access to plenty of cookie shops, including those open late.

California cities follow closely behind. San Francisco (No. 5) boasts the fifth-highest number of late-night cookie shops per square mile to satisfy anyone who’s up after hours studying, working, or partying.

Sacramento (No. 6) rose to the top with the second-biggest share of highly rated cookie vendors. You can crush your cookie cravings without stepping out the door in Sacramento and Los Angeles (No. 8), which tied with five other cities for the highest number of food delivery services.

Orange (No. 9) has the third-highest number of shops exclusively selling cookies per square mile, and Fresno (No. 10) has the largest share of highly rated cookie vendors.

Sweet-tooth cities

A batch of East Coast cities baked into our top 10.

After-hours munchies are no big deal in Atlantic-side cities. These cities love their late-night cookie shops and have plenty of them to satisfy their sweet tooths after sunset. New York (No. 2), Washington (No. 3), and Boston (No. 4) each have high access to late-night cookie shops.

New York also stands out as No. 1 in the Popularity category and in access to food delivery services. Additionally, NYC tied with LA for having multiple cookie shops recognized for being the best in the U.S.

It’s easy to find a tasty confection in Boston and Washington, each earning high scores across all Quality metrics. Meanwhile, Paterson, New Jersey (No. 7), has the most cookie vendors per square mile and high scores across the board, except for Popularity and number of food delivery services.

Texas trefoils

Texans love their Girl Scout Cookies. Five Lone Star State cities — Frisco, Plano, Dallas, McKinney, and Denton — have the highest numbers of Girl Scout Cookie booths, behind Baltimore.

Texas border cities Laredo (No. 26) and Brownsville (No. 25) are home to locally acclaimed cookie shops. Brownsville has the second-highest average consumer rating for all cookie vendors, while Laredo has the third-largest share of highly rated cookie vendors.

Sprawling cities like Houston (No. 24) and Austin (No. 35) might lack Access, but that doesn’t mean residents don’t crave cookies. Cookie Quality and Popularity are high in each of these cities. If you don’t feel like driving to the bakery, let the bakery come to you: Houston and Austin each have access to multiple food delivery services.

Amarillo (No. 200), however, was battered down in the rankings. Residents must prefer baking them at home — this city has low cookie Access, Quality, and Popularity.