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The U.S. Metros That Can Most Afford to Buy Gifts This Year

Unsurprisingly, 15 of the top 20 most economically advantaged metros are located on the East and West Coasts
Reuters

December caps off what is traditionally the biggest spending season for Americans. The American Research Group estimates that shoppers will spend an average of $646 on gifts this year. According to the National Retail Federation, that will add up to a record-breaking $469.1 billion between Thanksgiving and New Year's.

But which U.S. metro areas will have the most to spend? According to a new measure I developed with my colleagues at the Martin Prosperity Institute, greater Washington, D.C., tops the list of America’s most economically advantaged metros. San Jose, at the heart of California’s fabled Silicon Valley, is second; Bridgeport-Stamford, Connecticut, is third; San Francisco is fourth; with Boston and Trenton-Ewing (which includes Princeton), New Jersey, tied for fifth.