Home » New Report Lists the Most Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly Cities in the United States

Sep 26

New Report Lists the Most Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly Cities in the United States

A new report details the most vegetarian and vegan-friendly cities in the United States.

Although 15.5 million people in the U.S. follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, “it’s not the easiest lifestyle to adopt, as finding meatless options at restaurants and supermarkets can be a challenge”, states a new report by WalletHub (a personal finance company). “That’s beginning to change, though, as more and more venues have begun to offer vegetarian or vegan meals, including many fast-food chains.”

One of the biggest concerns people express about vegetarian or vegan diets is the cost, states the report. “However, with meat costs rising faster than those of fruits and vegetables, Americans may find working some vegetarian or vegan meals into their diet to be an attractive option.”

Fortunately, “many U.S. cities offer plentiful and inexpensive options for budget-conscious herbivores. To determine the best and cheapest places for a plant-based diet, WalletHub “compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 17 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness.” They examined each city “based on such metrics as the cost of groceries for vegetarians, the share of restaurants serving meatless options and salad shops per capita.”

Below is their list of the Most Vegetarian- & Vegan-Friendly Cities:

Overall Rank
 City Total Score Affordability Diversity, Accessibility & Quality Vegetarian Lifestyle
1 Portland, OR 61.15 38 5 27
2 Orlando, FL 56.49 37 2 15
3 Los Angeles, CA 52.97 45 17 2
4 Phoenix, AZ 52.81 19 13 65
5 Austin, TX 52.62 12 12 66
6 Seattle, WA 51.95 92 3 3
7 San Francisco, CA 51.74 99 1 1
8 Tampa, FL 50.90 62 9 5
9 San Diego, CA 50.78 35 8 19
10 Lexington-Fayette, KY 50.47 15 63 35
11 Boise, ID 49.89 25 25 44
12 Miami, FL 49.37 82 4 8
13 Cincinnati, OH 49.16 6 27 74
14 El Paso, TX 48.45 4 80 53
15 Plano, TX 48.13 9 50 52
16 Las Vegas, NV 47.84 26 16 26
17 Bakersfield, CA 47.47 27 33 97
18 Washington, DC 47.36 93 7 31
19 Fort Wayne, IN 47.25 8 74 70
20 Chicago, IL 47.19 28 19 25
21 Louisville, KY 46.98 16 49 73
22 Atlanta, GA 46.74 42 15 21
23 Oakland, CA 46.70 95 20 10
24 Houston, TX 46.51 13 53 64
25 Lincoln, NE 45.66 5 86 49
26 Tucson, AZ 45.52 40 22 96
27 Scottsdale, AZ 45.47 63 14 54
28 Chandler, AZ 45.36 60 26 47
29 Denver, CO 44.88 52 11 72
30 New York, NY 44.35 91 6 18
31 San Antonio, TX 44.29 10 59 77
32 Madison, WI 44.28 81 18 4
33 Fresno, CA 43.95 73 23 97
34 St. Louis, MO 43.70 68 29 63
35 Indianapolis, IN 43.40 30 46 12
36 Dallas, TX 43.15 32 40 16
37 Gilbert, AZ 42.98 51 42 45
38 Irving, TX 42.85 20 88 37
39 Lubbock, TX 42.83 17 73 97
40 Irvine, CA 42.65 70 39 39
41 Corpus Christi, TX 42.37 2 90 82
42 Long Beach, CA 42.13 79 38 34
43 Jersey City, NJ 41.73 31 89 33
44 Sacramento, CA 41.71 67 24 62
45 Laredo, TX 41.71 1 98 97
46 Raleigh, NC 41.65 47 54 42
47 Charlotte, NC 41.63 56 43 6
48 Mesa, AZ 41.45 33 61 57
49 Colorado Springs, CO 41.15 65 48 48
50 Birmingham, AL 40.68 55 28 88
51 Virginia Beach, VA 40.47 48 58 59
52 Nashville, TN 40.41 43 45 7
53 Pittsburgh, PA 40.37 74 30 22
54 Philadelphia, PA 40.26 64 34 69
55 Omaha, NE 40.23 57 62 61
56 Albuquerque, NM 40.12 44 37 20
57 Cleveland, OH 39.97 39 66 60
58 Oklahoma City, OK 39.90 14 67 29
59 Wichita, KS 39.82 18 77 84
60 Aurora, CO 39.37 11 93 50
61 St. Petersburg, FL 39.00 84 35 41
62 Tulsa, OK 38.96 7 76 85
63 Columbus, OH 38.49 29 69 75
64 Norfolk, VA 38.17 53 78 56
65 Glendale, AZ 38.11 60 72 46
66 Reno, NV 38.07 80 36 68
67 Riverside, CA 37.96 78 21 86
68 Garland, TX 37.84 24 99 40
69 Newark, NJ 37.48 90 96 17
70 Jacksonville, FL 37.42 69 55 14
71 Kansas City, MO 37.30 34 75 23
71 New Orleans, LA 37.30 59 32 32
73 St. Paul, MN 37.07 72 71 43
74 Honolulu, HI 36.98 96 10 89
75 Milwaukee, WI 36.96 36 70 80
76 Baton Rouge, LA 36.71 54 57 93
77 Minneapolis, MN 36.71 85 31 28
78 Arlington, TX 36.41 41 87 67
79 Detroit, MI 36.29 21 84 78
79 Buffalo, NY 36.29 75 44 24
81 Winston-Salem, NC 35.97 49 68 90
82 Chesapeake, VA 35.70 50 92 55
83 Fort Worth, TX 35.56 23 81 79
84 Anaheim, CA 35.53 88 65 36
85 Memphis, TN 34.96 46 79 81
86 Toledo, OH 34.07 3 83 87
87 Stockton, CA 33.95 76 41 95
88 Durham, NC 32.86 87 60 13
89 Boston, MA 32.48 98 47 11
90 Baltimore, MD 32.32 86 52 30
91 Santa Ana, CA 32.30 88 82 38
92 Henderson, NV 31.59 71 85 92
93 Greensboro, NC 31.30 58 56 91
94 Hialeah, FL 30.82 77 97 51
95 Anchorage, AK 30.21 94 64 58
96 North Las Vegas, NV 29.71 22 100 94
97 Fremont, CA 29.71 100 94 9
98 Chula Vista, CA 29.43 66 95 76
99 San Jose, CA 29.09 97 51 71
100 San Bernardino, CA 25.11 83 91 83

Lowest Cost of Groceries for Vegetarians:

  • 1. Fort Wayne, IN
  • 2. Kansas City, MO
  • 3. Corpus Christi, TX
  • 4. Oklahoma City, OK
  • 5. Lexington-Fayette, KY

% of Restaurants Serving Vegetarian Options:

  • T-1. Plano, TX
  • T-1. Chandler, AZ
  • 3. Scottsdale, AZ
  • 4. St. Petersburg, FL
  • 5. Washington, DC

Anthony Martinelli

Anthony Martinelli is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Vegan Herald, which launched in 2015 as a daily vegan news and information website.

2 comments

    • Portland Joe on September 27, 2022 at 5:52 pm
    • #

    go portland!!

    • Yammy on September 27, 2022 at 5:52 pm
    • #

    my city made the top 5!

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