Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Which American cities are leading the way toward a sustainable future, and which ones are lagging behind?
Find out in our ranking of 2023’s Most Sustainable Cities.
LawnStarter compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five sustainability categories.
We looked at the number of zero-energy buildings, alternative fuel stations, and greenhouse-gas emissions, among 26 total metrics.
See how your city compares below. To learn how we ranked the cities, see our methodology at the end.
1. San Francisco, CA
- Overall Score: 77.205
- Policy Rank: 5
- Sustainable Development Rank: 1
- Pollution Rank: 77
- Transportation Rank: 2
- Food Production Rank: 16
2. Boston, MA
- Overall Score: 71.567
- Policy Rank: 7
- Sustainable Development Rank: 6
- Pollution Rank: 92
- Transportation Rank: 3
- Food Production Rank: 1
3. New York, NY
- Overall Score: 70.684
- Policy Rank: 1
- Sustainable Development Rank: 11
- Pollution Rank: 164
- Transportation Rank: 1
- Food Production Rank: 89
4. Oakland, CA
- Overall Score: 69.363
- Policy Rank: 4
- Sustainable Development Rank: 8
- Pollution Rank: 57
- Transportation Rank: 14
- Food Production Rank: 39
5. San Diego, CA
- Overall Score: 66.561
- Policy Rank: 18
- Sustainable Development Rank: 2
- Pollution Rank: 104
- Transportation Rank: 19
- Food Production Rank: 56
6. San Jose, CA
- Overall Score: 66.204
- Policy Rank: 23
- Sustainable Development Rank: 10
- Pollution Rank: 37
- Transportation Rank: 12
- Food Production Rank: 63
7. Seattle, WA
- Overall Score: 66.174
- Policy Rank: 47
- Sustainable Development Rank: 9
- Pollution Rank: 44
- Transportation Rank: 7
- Food Production Rank: 11
8. Baltimore, MD
- Overall Score: 65.479
- Policy Rank: 2
- Sustainable Development Rank: 51
- Pollution Rank: 35
- Transportation Rank: 39
- Food Production Rank: 14
9. Sacramento, CA
- Overall Score: 65.128
- Policy Rank: 9
- Sustainable Development Rank: 4
- Pollution Rank: 141
- Transportation Rank: 29
- Food Production Rank: 26
10. Los Angeles, CA
- Overall Score: 64.804
- Policy Rank: 10
- Sustainable Development Rank: 5
- Pollution Rank: 175
- Transportation Rank: 9
- Food Production Rank: 37
11. Philadelphia, PA
- Overall Score: 63.911
- Policy Rank: 3
- Sustainable Development Rank: 74
- Pollution Rank: 62
- Transportation Rank: 8
- Food Production Rank: 71
12. Minneapolis, MN
- Overall Score: 62.155
- Policy Rank: 44
- Sustainable Development Rank: 34
- Pollution Rank: 54
- Transportation Rank: 11
- Food Production Rank: 9
13. Chicago, IL
- Overall Score: 61.507
- Policy Rank: 6
- Sustainable Development Rank: 67
- Pollution Rank: 66
- Transportation Rank: 6
- Food Production Rank: 118
14. Portland, OR
- Overall Score: 61.329
- Policy Rank: 54
- Sustainable Development Rank: 12
- Pollution Rank: 101
- Transportation Rank: 13
- Food Production Rank: 5
15. Providence, RI
- Overall Score: 60.978
- Policy Rank: 26
- Sustainable Development Rank: 62
- Pollution Rank: 60
- Transportation Rank: 15
- Food Production Rank: 17
Methodology
First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to the Most Sustainable Cities. Here are the factors:
- Number of Incentives and Policies Supporting Renewables and Energy Efficiency
- Local Clean City Coalitions Present
- Number of Global Green Partners
- Member of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
- Urban Heat Island Program Present
- Number of Zero-Energy Buildings
- Self-Sustainable Homes-Friendliness
- Share of Land Used for Parks
- Alternative-Fuel Stations per Square Mile
- State Waste Management Performance
- Greenhouse-Gas Emissions (Metric Tons)
- Tons of Waste in Landfills per 100,000 Residents
- Annual Excess Fuel Consumption
- Median Air Quality Index
- Water Quality Violations Present
- Population Density (Residents per Square Mile)
- Thrift Shopper-Friendliness
- Car-Free Lifestyle-Friendliness
- Transit Score
- Biking-Friendliness
- Share of Average Household Income Spent on Local Transportation
- Share of Average Household Income Spent on Gasoline
- Annual Tonnage of Excess Food from Commercial and Industrial Facilities
- Urban Gardening-Friendliness
- Locavore-Friendliness
- Number of Green Restaurants
We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into five categories: Policy, Sustainable Development, Pollution, Transportation, and Food Production.
For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we then gathered data on each factor.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A city’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1).
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