The 15 Cities Most Ready for the Future

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Point2.

The new age of urbanism is taking shape all around us. Across the world, futuristic cities straight out of sci-fi movies are being built from the ground up.

But at home, news of technological breakthroughs, infrastructure challenges, and climate dilemmas means that wearing a vague “smart city” badge no longer cuts it.

While the American city of tomorrow might not yet mean commuting by jetpack and holding hologram phone conversations, some major hubs are making us believe we’re not too far off. So, how prepared are our cities for the future?

To find out, Point2 analyzed the 100 largest cities in the United States to reveal which are the most future-ready.

We considered 30 key metrics distributed across five categories, each shedding light on a different aspect of urban innovation. Learn more about our methodology at the end.

This report aggregates the factors that reflect what cities are working on today for a better tomorrow — from the obvious (like internet access, tech job openings, and air quality) to key indicators that can help paint a wider picture of what’s yet to come (such as the number of recent invention patents and building permits issued so far this year).

1. Seattle, WA

• Business & Technology Rank: 9
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 14
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 1
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 3
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 6

2. San Jose, CA

• Business & Technology Rank: 2
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 15
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 19
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 21
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 7

3. Denver, CO

• Business & Technology Rank: 12
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 17
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 4
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 7
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 15

4. San Diego, CA

• Business & Technology Rank: 3
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 32
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 3
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 27
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 20

5. Austin, TX

• Business & Technology Rank: 5
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 13
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 13
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 34
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 18

6. San Francisco, CA

• Business & Technology Rank: 1
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 51
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 23
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 2
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 27

7. New York City, NY

• Business & Technology Rank: 10
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 31
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 7
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 4
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 46

8. Sacramento, CA

• Business & Technology Rank: 37
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 1
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 2
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 26
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 28

9. Oakland, CA

• Business & Technology Rank: 8
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 39
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 14
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 16
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 31

10. Washington, D.C.

• Business & Technology Rank: 6
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 36
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 9
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 25
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 39

11. Minneapolis, MN

• Business & Technology Rank: 26
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 9
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 36
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 1
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 47

12. Portland, OR

• Business & Technology Rank: 38
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 46
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 6
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 6
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 24

13. Atlanta, GA

• Business & Technology Rank: 25
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 22
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 8
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 32
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 37

14. Los Angeles, CA

• Business & Technology Rank: 21
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 47
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 10
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 15
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 45

15. Dallas, TX

• Business & Technology Rank: 11
• Internet Connectivity Rank: 19
• Environment & Sustainability Rank: 21
• Transit & Mobility Rank: 39
• Economy & Demographics Rank: 42

Methodology

Point2, a division of Yardi Systems Inc., covers real estate trends and news. Point2 studies are based on internal data, public records, governmental sources, online research and other reliable third-party agencies.

• For this study, we considered the 100 largest cities in the United States by population based on 2021 Census estimates.
• To determine the Top Future-Ready Large Cities, the report uses a combination of ranking scores and weighted averages of 30 metrics across five main categories: Business & Technology; Internet Connectivity; Environment & Sustainability; Transit & Mobility; and Economy & Demographics.
• The study focuses on metrics primarily sourced at city level. Due to lack of citywide data, the Share of STEM Jobs, STEM Annual Median Income, and Permits Issued were sourced at metro level, while NSF Awards in Dollars ($), Renewable Energy Generation, Electric Vehicle Registrations, and Carbon Dioxide Emissions per Capita are at state level.