With October being National Energy Awareness Month and more than half of Americans saying stricter environmental regulations are worth the cost, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2021’s Greenest Cities in America, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
To determine which cities promote a “green” lifestyle, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 28 key indicators of environmental friendliness and sustainability. The data set ranges from greenhouse-gas emissions per capita to green job opportunities to the number of smart-energy policies and initiatives.
| Greenest Cities in America | Least Green Cities in America |
| 1. San Diego, CA | 91. Louisville, KY |
| 2. San Francisco, CA | 92. Detroit, MI |
| 3. Portland, OR | 93. Houston, TX |
| 4. Irvine, CA | 94. Hialeah, FL |
| 5. Honolulu, HI | 95. Newark, NJ |
| 6. Fremont, CA | 96. Chandler, AZ |
| 7. Washington, DC | 97. Baton Rouge, LA |
| 8. Oakland, CA | 98. Glendale, AZ |
| 9. Seattle, WA | 99. Mesa, AZ |
| 10. San Jose, CA | 100. Gilbert, AZ |
Best vs. Worst
- Lubbock, Texas, has the lowest median air-quality index, 20, which is six times lower than in Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, and Scottsdale, Arizona, the cities with the highest at 119 (Lowest index = Best).
- Anchorage, Alaska, has the most green space, 84.17 percent, which is 48.3 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the least at 1.74 percent.
- New York has the highest walk score, 88, which is 4.2 times higher than in Chesapeake, Virginia, the city with the lowest at 21.
- Honolulu has the most farmers markets (per square root of population), 0.113415, which is 71.3 times more than in Arlington, Texas, the city with the fewest at 0.001590.
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit: