The Most & Least Green Cities in America

What We're Showing

The 10 greenest and 10 least green cities in America. WalletHub compared the country’s 100 largest cities across 28 “green” indicators. The data used to create this ranking was collected as of September 4, 2024.

Methodology

To determine the greenest cities in America, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across four key dimensions: 

1) Environment, like air quality and greenhouse-gas emissions;

2) Transportation, like commuters traveling alone, biking, and walking score;

3) Energy Sources, like the share of renewable sources and

4) Lifestyle & Policy, like community gardens, green job opportunities. (Excluding recycling efforts.)

Key Takeaways

• West Coast leads: California cities dominate the top 10.
• Arizona falls short: Four Arizona cities land in the bottom 10.
• Southern and Rust Belt cities struggle: Major metros like Houston and Detroit rank low.