Trivia question: Who spends more on Valentine’s Day and by how much? (Answer at end of article).

Romantic beach walks and sunsets in 80 degree weather, it’s no wonder San Diego ranks in the top 20 places to celebrate Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank, according to WalletHub.com

While our fine city didn’t fare as well as our northern California city, San Francisco, which comes in at the number one spot, you know  you can’t beat a romantic outdoor picnic or moonlight beach stroll in San Diego. And all up and down the coast there are magical places to steal some romantic moments.

Top 20 Cities To Celebrate Valentine’s Day

WalletHub researched major cities throughout the country to find out which ones are most romantic and the easiest on the pocketbook to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The company used 15 key metrics to come up with the top 100 list of best and worst cities for Valentine’s Day celebrations. Metrics included restaurant-meal costs, the number of attractions, and the number of florists per capita.  The worst on the list:  Hialeah, Florida.

San Diego came in 16th with San Francisco at the top. Followed by Scottsdale, Arizona, Honolulu, Hawaii, Orlando Florida and Seattle, Washington rounding out the top five.

“The Day Love Costs Money” as some refer to it can often create stress as lovebirds struggle to find the balance between a romantic celebration and the perfect gifts and places to dine.

WalletHubs writes that, “This year, the average lovebird will spend $146.84 and nearly $20 billion collectively….”  It’s predicted that sweethearts will spend slightly more this year than last year.

What’s interesting about Valentine’s Day spending habits is that these trends can tell us things about consumer confidence and the overall health of our economy.  Consumer spending drives about 70% of economic growth, as measured by Gross Domestic Product.

If you look at back at Valentine’s Day average spending in 2007, it was at $133 and over the next several years when the economy tanked, that figure  dropped to $108 by 2010 based on data from the National Retail Federation.

So which age groups are celebrating Valentine’s Day? Nearly two-thirds between the ages of 25-34 participate in the holiday love fest compared to 60% of those between 18-24 but less than half of those aged 55-64 celebrate Valentine’s Day and only about 445 of those 65 and older pay attention to the sweetheart’s day.

For those who are looking for gifts and ways to celebrate, candy tops the list followed by Valentine’s cards, a night out, flowers, and jewelry.

Now, for our trivia answer. Who spends more on Valentine’s Day?

It’s probably not surprising that men do and by almost twice as much as women.