Shelton in Top-Rated Trick-or-Treating Area

Fairfield County may not be widely known for its confections, but when it comes to Halloween, it's a veritable Candy Land.

That's according to an index just released by The Atlantic Cities, which ranks U.S. metropolitan areas according to the quality of their trick-or-treating.

The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area — otherwise known as Fairfield County — tops the standings this year, followed by New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington.

The index considers five metrics: the share of children 5 to 14, median household income, population density, walkability, and creative spirit (measured by the "percentage of artists, designers, and other cultural creatives").

The rankings were developed in part by Charlotta Mellander of the Martin Prosperity Institute.

Read the full story: 2011's Best Cities for Trick-or-Treating