No. 1 in Snow Jobs

In Syracuse, the forecast calls for shoveling.

New York's fifth-largest city gets the most snow in the U.S., with 103 inches per year, according to AccuWeather. Erie, Pa., comes in second at 101 inches, and Flagstaff, Ariz., ranks third at 100 inches.

These are the lands of frosty fingers and aching backs. Making the job a little easier, though, is a snowblower, which can reduce the strain and lifting of shoveling.  Spread Sheet looked into snowblower sales to see which region ranks No. 1. Coming in first is the Northeast, where 40% of the country's snowblowers are sold, according to data from Sears Holdings. Next is the Midwest, where 28% of Sears's snowblowers are sold. The Northwest accounts for 20% of sales, and the South and Southwest get 12% of sales.

Demand for snowblowers is highest in December, when 29% of all units are sold, with sales tapering down to 10% in January.

Snowblowers have become easier to maneuver in recent years, says Dean Schwartz, vice president and general merchandise manager for lawn and garden at Sears Holdings. Two-stage snowblowers are the most powerful and effective, experts say. These work by first picking up snow with a metal auger and then shooting the snow out of a chute from a fast-spinning impeller.

Of course, many still opt for the tried-and-true shovel.

"Even if you have a really good snowblower, it can't get into the nooks and crannies, like steps and stairs," says Martin Tirado, a Milwaukee resident and executive director of Snow & Ice Management Association, a trade organization for the snow-removal industry. "Everyone has a shovel."

Karen Benvin Ransom, associate broker at Houlihan Lawrence, owns a plastic shovel but rarely uses it. Instead, she hires a plow service to clear the 10,000-square-foot driveway at her Katonah, N.Y., home. "I don't even have to call them," she says. "They just show up."

Each plowing costs just under $100, she says, adding that there were 26 snowstorms during her first winter at the house about 20 years ago. "That was a fortune, an absolute fortune," Ms. Benvin Ransom says. The snow has slowed since then—the service has only had to clear away snow twice this season.

Paul Vanderzon, chief executive of Deneigement Vanderzon, a snow-clearing service just outside Montreal, has about 3,400 residential clients within four square miles. Using commercial-grade snow-removal equipment, a skilled driver can clear 150 driveways in four hours, he says.

Last year's mild winter caused his clientele to dip slightly, Mr. Vanderzon says. Although more people are signing up this year, he says "there are still those die-hards who decide not to sign on and whip out the shovel instead.

Sanette Tanaka       www.professional.wsj.com