The Sexiest Cities in America

Hilary Walke  |  12:00 PM, Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Women spend nearly three years of their lives getting ready, according to Marie Claire. Looking good comes with a price – and all women can confirm that. Whether it’s date night, family night, or a workday, many women put significant effort and time into their appearances.

Almost 40 percent say they wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without applying cosmetics, and 19 percent say they’d rather trim their food budget than their beauty budget, according to QVC Beauty.

Women spend an average of $1034.24 every year on cosmetics, more than $68,000 in a lifetime. What’s more, 53 percent say that the recession has had little effect on their beauty budget.

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We at Bundle wanted to know which cities and states across America are the sexiest – that is, who is spending the most money on their looks. To do so, we looked at the top 100 largest cities in the US based on population and examined all households which had a credit card transaction at Lingerie & Hosiery, Cosmetics & Fragrance, and Skincare & Waxing stores. We then examined total spend and total number of transactions per city and ranked on a per capita basis.

So… where is the sexiest city in America? Find out below!

Chicago, IL tops our list for the number one sexiest city in America, spending 244% of the national average on their looks. And it doesn’t stop there – the state of Illinois also tops our list for the sexiest state in America, spending 164% of the national average on looking sexy. Though you may have thought California would win, Illinois is sure showing them some tough competition – and winning. Chicago came in second place on our list for the Fittest Cities in America, which makes sense; Chi-Town residents spend a lot of time and money on looking good.

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City-of-the-moment Austin, TX comes in second place for America’s Sexiest Cities. With beautiful weather, a thriving arts scene what with the ever popular Austin City Limits Music Festival, and University of Texas at Austin being ranked the number one most sexually friendly and sex-loving campus in America according to a Men's Health study, Austin has got it goin’ on. Austin spends 193% of the national average on looking sexy, a deep drop from Chicago but an overall very high score. Men's Health Magazine ranked Austin as the sexiest city in America, according to its survey that looked at birth rates, condom sales, rate of sexually transmitted diseases and sales of sex toys.

New York made its way to second place on America’s Sexiest States, which is not a surprise. New York, NY and Brooklyn, NY came in sixth and seventh on our Sexiest Cities list, which certainly boosted New York’s ranking as a whole.

As you’ll notice, New England and the Northwest aren’t looking so sexy these days. Whether it’s the cold temperatures or I'm-too-earthy-to-care-about-my-looks vibe, don’t get stuck there if you need a mani/pedi. You’ll be going bare for days.

We want to hear from you! Tweet us @BundleHQ #sexycities. Do you shop for your looks often? How much do you spend?

Click here to see the infographic in high-res