For decades, the assumption has been simple: serious outdoor living happens in California and Florida. Sunshine, the thinking goes, is the only requirement that matters.

A new state-by-state ranking compiled by The Luxury Pergola complicates that view. Weighed against homeownership, household budgets, and active interest in outdoor living, climate alone no longer determines the leaderboard. Georgia takes #1 with a composite score of 69.84. California falls to #42.

Key Findings

• #1 — Georgia. Composite score of 69.84. 334 comfortable outdoor days per year.
• #4 — Florida. 365 comfortable days, the maximum possible, but held back by lower homeownership and tighter household budgets.
• #5 — Iowa. A 71.6% owner-occupancy rate and unusually high engagement in outdoor living content.
• #1 in search interest — Wyoming. A perfect Google Trends score of 100, the highest in the nation.
• #42 — California. The lowest homeownership rate in the contiguous U.S. at 55.3%.
• Top 10 sweep — the Southeast. Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana all make the cut.
• #50 — Alaska. Just 31 comfortable outdoor days per year. New York follows at #49 with a short outdoor season and one of the lowest owner-occupancy rates in the country.

A "comfortable outdoor day" is defined here as a day with average high temperatures between 60°F and 95°F, based on NOAA 30-year climate normals, the range most Americans consider workable for hosting outdoors

Georgia Ranks #1, Ahead of California and Florida

Georgia hit a composite score of 69.84, the highest in the country, by clearing every category that matters: 

• logs 334 comfortable outdoor days annually,
• sits well above the homeownership midpoint, and
• shows strong consumer interest in patios and outdoor furniture.

That's what most outdoor-living rankings miss. The best backyard state doesn’t depend only on sunshine. It's the one where weather, household budgets, and demand for outdoor living all show up together. Georgia is doing that better than anywhere else right now.

Maryland's #3 finish is the proof. The state has only 214 comfortable days, but it also has the highest income score of any state in the index, paired with a 68% homeownership rate. When residents have both the resources and the space, even a moderate climate gets used hard.

The Top 10 States for Backyard Entertaining

The Bottom 10 States for Backyard Entertaining

The Southeast Sweeps, and the Season Runs Out Up North

The top 10 leans south. Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana all make the cut, riding long comfortable seasons and strong homeownership. Maryland and Virginia round out the mid-Atlantic showing. Together, these states form a clear regional pattern: the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic are where the math works best for outdoor entertaining in 2026.

The opposite end of the spectrum is just as clear. Alaska finishes dead last at #50 with only 31 comfortable outdoor days per year, a single month of viable patio weather. New York comes in at #49, dragged down by the country's second lowest owner-occupancy rate of 55.7% and a short outdoor season. Even residents who want to invest in their backyard run into the problem that they may not have one to invest in.

Florida Ranks 4th Even With Year-Round Sunshine

Florida posts a perfect 365 comfortable days, the maximum score possible, yet only ranks #4. The Sunshine State has been the assumed leader of outdoor entertaining for decades. The mechanics of the index explain why that assumption no longer holds.

Florida's homeownership rate sits at 66.1%, which puts it about in the middle of the rankings. Its income score (15.22) puts the state near the bottom. Together, those scores pulled Florida out of contention for #1. 

Rising costs across the state have squeezed household purchasing power, making everything from outdoor furniture to backyard renovations a heavier lift for the average family. Year-round sunshine has less value when fewer households own the yard they'd entertain in, or when there's less room in the budget to invest in the space.

Hawaii tells the same story. Tied with Florida and Louisiana on perfect 365-day climate, Hawaii falls all the way to #12, dragged down by a 57.6% homeownership rate, one of the lowest in the country. A long season isn't the same as a usable one.

Iowa at #5: The Midwest's Quiet Investment

Iowa ranks in the middle of the top 10, at a backyard entertaining score of 65.74. While its climate score puts the state mid-range, its outdoor space score (90.56) and owner-occupancy rate (71.6%) are what land it in the top 10. A strong majority of Iowans own the yard they'd entertain in, and they're actively researching how to use it, with Google Trends showing consistently high activity around patio furniture, pergolas, and outdoor living searches over the past year.

Wyoming makes the case even sharper. The Cowboy State posted a perfect 100 score for backyard-related search interest, the highest in the nation. Pair that with an owner-occupancy rate of 71.9%, and Wyoming lands at #8 despite a shorter outdoor season.

What's happening across the middle of the country looks less like a regional fluke and more like a slow realignment. The investment in outdoor living is coming from places where people own their homes, have room to spread out, and are actively figuring out how to make their yards work harder.

California's Fall From the Top

California falls to #42.

The state has spent decades branding itself as the outdoor culture capital, with its wine country patios and coastal beach parties. Its climate score lands well above average. That's the only category working in its favor.

Two factors pull it down fast:

• Its homeownership rate is 55.3%, the lowest among contiguous states, which gives California the bottom score in the index for outdoor space access — almost half of Californians don't have a backyard of their own to entertain in.
• Its income score of 41.05 reflects a wide gap between household earnings and what those dollars actually buy after the state's high cost of living is factored in.

A great climate doesn't fix a housing problem. The disconnect between California's outdoor lifestyle reputation and its actual rank is the clearest example in the data of why the old framework no longer holds.

A Reframing for Summer 2026

Outdoor entertaining is drawing serious investment. Demand for weatherproof outdoor TVs and TV enclosures has climbed sharply ahead of summer 2026, with manufacturers reporting an outdoor entertainment surge tied directly to the season. Industry coverage tracks the same shift. Homeowners are upgrading bare backyards into gathering spaces before the holiday weekends really get going.

The rankings explain why that energy isn't evenly distributed. The states where outdoor entertaining is most viable, with long seasons, high homeownership, and active demand, are pulling ahead of the ones that just have good weather. The result is a reframing of what outdoor living actually means in 2026. Sunshine sets the stage, but ownership, budget, and intent are what fill the patio.

The conditions for a great outdoor summer have less to do with what lifestyle magazines have been pointing to for years and more to do with the practical math of where you live and what you own.

Methodology

To understand how Americans approach outdoor entertaining, we ranked all 50 U.S. states across four weighted categories: climate (40%), outdoor space access (25%), household purchasing power (20%), and active interest in backyard living (15%). Climate data came from NOAA Climate at a Glance, using 30-year temperature normals to identify "comfortable outdoor days" defined as those with average high temperatures between 60°F and 95°F. Outdoor space and income data came from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and BEA Regional Price Parities, which adjust median household income for local cost of living. Search interest was pulled from Google Trends data covering the past 12 months across five backyard-related search terms. Each state received a composite score from 0 to 100, with the District of Columbia excluded from the ranking.

Fair Use Policy

Users are welcome to utilize the insights and findings from this study for noncommercial purposes, such as academic research, educational presentations, and personal reference. When referencing or citing this article, please ensure proper attribution to maintain the integrity of the research. Direct linking to this article is permissible, and access to the original source of information is encouraged.

For commercial use or publication purposes, including but not limited to media outlets, websites, and promotional materials, please contact the authors for permission and licensing details. We appreciate your respect for intellectual property rights and adherence to ethical citation practices. Thank you for your interest in our research.