A new study reveals the best large US malls for festive shopping this season.
The study, conducted by Cloud ERP provider Priority Software, awarded the 20 largest malls in America a score out of 100 based on performance across five key metrics.
These were mall size, number of stores, parking spaces per 10,000 square feet, Instagram posts (Instagrammability), and average Google rating out of five. The metrics were weighted as follows: Instagrammability at 10%, mall size and Google rating at 20% each, and parking spaces and number of stores at 25% each.
American malls, ranked from best to worst:
Rank
Mall name
Size (sq ft)
Parking Spaces
Stores
Average Google Rating
Instagram Posts
Final Score (Out of 100)
1
King of Prussia Mall, Pennsylvania
2,793,200
13,400
450
4.5
186,000
100
2
The Galleria, Texas
2,400,838
13,000
400
4.5
58,700
92.6
3
Mall of America, Minnesota
5,600,000
12,300
520
4.5
279,000
89.3
4
American Dream Meadowlands, New Jersey
3,000,000
33,000
450
3.5
40,000
81.6
5
Ala Moana Center, Hawaii
2,400,000
11,000
350
4
123,000
71.1
6
Westfield Garden State Plaza, New Jersey
2,118,718
10,796
346
4
1,000
70.7
7
Aventura, Florida
2,700,000
9,800
300
4.5
201,000
70.6
8
Sawgrass Mills, Florida
2,370,610
1,715
400
4.5
63,700
68.4
9
Tysons Corner Center, Virginia
2,400,000
11,000
300
4.5
5,000
65.4
10
Del Amo Fashion Center, California
2,517,765
12,000
255
4.5
11,900
56.1
11
Roosevelt Field, New York
2,372,053
11,000
243
4.5
31,700
56.0
12
NorthPark Center, Texas
2,000,000
9,000
221
4.5
28,700
55.4
13
Palisades Center, New York
2,217,322
18,000
218
4
5,000
50.2
14
Lakewood Center, California
2,069,000
8,000
225
4.4
1,000
48.3
15
Woodfield Mall, Illinois
2,154,014
3,082
234
4.5
42,000
41.1
16
Oakbrook Center, Illinois
2,018,000
8,000
175
4.5
19,200
41.0
17
South Coast Plaza, California
2,623,385
1,000
270
4.5
144,000
40.0
18
Westfield Valley Fair, California
2,200,000
8,500
236
4
5,000
39.3
19
Destiny USA, New York
2,400,000
5,500
239
4
26,400
31.3
20
Millcreek Mall, Pennsylvania
2,200,000
5,720
165
4
1,000
17.1
Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia Mall was named the best for Christmas shopping in the US, earning a perfect score of 100 out of 100. This mall offers over 13,400 parking spots, or 5.8 spaces per 10,000 square feet, and around 450 stores for visitors. It’s the third-largest mall on the list, measuring over 2.79 million square feet.
The Galleria in Texas ranks second, with a score of 92.6 out of 100. It has over 400 stores across 2.4 million square feet, offers more than 13,000 parking spaces, and boasts an average Google rating of 4.5 stars out of five.
In third place is the Mall of America in Minnesota, scoring 89.3 out of 100. As the largest mall in the US, it spans over 5.6 million square feet and houses over 520 stores.
With 12,300 parking spaces, the mall provides approximately 3.2 spaces per 10,000 square feet, catering to millions of annual visitors. The mall is also the most Instagrammed of the top 20, with over 279,000 posts under #mallofamerica.
Next is the American Dream Meadowlands mall in New Jersey, ranking fourth with a score of 81.6 out of 100. The mall spans three million square feet and has over 450 stores for visitors to enjoy.
It has the highest number of parking spaces overall, with over 33,000 available, reducing the likelihood of parking struggles. However, it has the lowest average Google rating, at just 3.5 stars out of five.
In fifth place is Hawaii’s Ala Moana Center, with a score of 71.1. This mall, covering 2.4 million square feet, includes 350 stores and 11,000 parking spaces. It holds a 4-star rating on Google but is one of the least Instagrammed, with only about 1,000 posts.
Ranking sixth, Westfield Garden State Plaza in New Jersey scored 70.7. The mall offers 346 stores within its 2.1 million square feet and has a 4-star rating on Google.
Aventura Mall in Florida takes the seventh spot with a score of 70.6, featuring over 300 stores across 2.7 million square feet. It is the second-most Instagrammed mall on the list, with 207,000 posts on Instagram (#aventuramall).
In eighth place is Sawgrass Mills, also in Florida, scoring 68.4 in the index. It is followed by Tysons Corner Center in Virginia, which scored 65.4 out of 100.
Rounding off the top ten is California’s Del Amo Fashion Center, with a score of 56.1. The center boasts a 4.5-star rating on Google and more than 12,000 parking spaces for its 2.5 million square feet of shopping area.
Commenting on the findings, Sagive Greenspan, CEO of Priority Software, said, “Trips to shopping centers and malls are always hectic as Black Friday and Christmas near, but they can also make for great outings.
“With the holiday season fast approaching, shopping centers across the US will ramp up efforts to attract holiday shoppers. Malls like King of Prussia and The Galleria exemplify what draws customers during these peak times: a wide variety of stores, convenient parking, and an enjoyable shopping environment.
“Nowadays, malls are not just about shopping – they’re also about experiences too. These centers add restaurants, cinemas, events, and play zones, turning a simple shopping trip into a day-long outing that families and friends can enjoy together.”
Photo: Getty
Sources:
https://www.priority-software.com/retail-management/
Wikipedia – Top 20 biggest malls in America + Individual pages for malls (number of stores, parking spaces and square feet)
Google ratings – Mall ratings
Instagram – Individual hashtags of malls
Methodology:
1.The following data was gathered on the top 20 biggest malls in America and weighted:
- Size in square feet (20%)
- Number of stores (25%)
- Number of parking spaces (25%)
- Average Google star rating (/5) (20%)
- Number of Instagram posts under mall’s hashtag (10%)
2. Parking spaces and the number of stores were further categorized as parking spaces and stores per 10,000 square feet.
3. The metrics were then given an index score from 1 to 10, then overall were ranked between 1-100 for the index score.