Silent Night(s): 382,254 Illinoisans Will Be Spending Christmas Alone This Year, Finds Study.

nt to feel joyful.

A Mission for Michael surveyed over 3,000 adults who live alone to understand how many expect to spend Christmas 2025 in solitude – and why. When extrapolated nationally, the findings suggest that a staggering 14 million Americans will be alone this Christmas. 

States Where Christmas Will Be Quietest

#1. Wisconsin — 45,424 people spending it alone
#2. Tennessee — 56,286 
#3. Louisiana — 56,743 
#4. Minnesota — 72,213
#5. Maryland — 117,768 

The data shows that, when weighted by the number of people who live alone, Illinois ranks as the 12th loneliest state this Christmas, with 382,254 residents expected to spend the day on their own.

Infographic showing state-by-state Christmas loneliness figures

Why Are So Many Spending It Alone?

Respondents shared a wide range of reasons – from the logistical to the deeply emotional: 

• 29% live far from family or friends and can’t make the trip
• 17% say travel is simply too expensive
• 20% are staying away due to family conflict
• 11% are tied up with work
• 16% say they actually prefer to spend Christmas alone
• 7% don’t celebrate Christmas at all

How Do They Feel About It? 

While not everyone feels bad about a solo holiday, a significant portion carry emotional weight into the season: 

• 25% say they feel lonely
• 22% feel sad
• 9% report being overwhelmed
• 7% are anxious
• 37% are simply indifferent

How They Cope

Some people have proactive plans to make the best of it, while others admit they will just see how it goes: 

• 28% will watch holiday movies or TV to feel festive
• 19% plan to “treat themselves” with food, gifts, or self-care
• 15% will connect virtually with loved ones
• 8% will work through the day to stay busy
• 5% will volunteer or get involved in their community
• 3% are going away on a solo trip
• 22% say they have no plan at all 

Perceptions and Fears

• 47% believe there’s still a stigma to spending Christmas alone
• 27% say Christmas 2025 may be their loneliest yet
• 59% agree that Christmas magnifies loneliness more than any other time
• 56% believe we are living through a “silent epidemic” of holiday isolation
• 38% would skip Christmas entirely if given the option 

When asked what their biggest fear is about spending Christmas alone: 

• 16% worry about feeling depressed
• 14% fear feeling forgotten
• 13% dread having no plans
• 11% fear having no one to talk to
• 6% feel embarrassed to admit it
• 40% say they have no fears about it at all

“We often think of Christmas as a time of joy, but for many people, it becomes a mirror for everything they feel they’re missing”, says Anand Meta LMFT (Executive Director, AMFM). “Loneliness doesn’t take a holiday, but neither does hope – and the more we normalize these feelings, the easier it becomes to reach out, speak up, or simply take the pressure off a ‘perfect’ Christmas.”