2023’s Most Sustainable Cities

Staff Report

Monday, May 22nd, 2023

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.

To mark Earth Day on April 22, 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 the 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for eco-friendly living below, followed by key stats from our report.

 
 

Most Sustainable Cities

Rank

City

1

San Francisco, CA

2

Boston, MA

3

New York, NY

4

Oakland, CA

5

San Diego, CA

6

San Jose, CA

7

Seattle, WA

8

Baltimore, MD

9

Sacramento, CA

10

Los Angeles, CA

 

Least Sustainable Cities

Rank

City

1

Mesquite, TX

2

Pasadena, TX

3

Grand Prairie, TX

4

Surprise, AZ

5

Hialeah, FL

6

Thornton, CO

7

Paterson, NJ

8

Pembroke Pines, FL

9

Shreveport, LA

10

Peoria, AZ

Key Insights:

  • Golden City: Bringing home the gold star overall, San Francisco takes first place in Sustainable Development with the best access to alternative-fuel stations, nearly 11 per square mile. San Francisco also is the most bike-friendly and the best for living car-free

  • Acing Green Architecture: Sustainable San Diego (No. 5) retains the most zero-energy buildings, followed by Sacramento (No. 9), Los Angeles (No. 10), and San Francisco (No. 1). San Diego also takes third place in self-sustainable housing-friendliness, behind LA and San Francisco.

  • Eco-Forward Infrastructure: Driving toward becoming the nation’s electric car capital by 2030 is San Jose (No. 6). The city currently stands at No. 26 in alternative fuel stations per square mile. San Jose also boasts the sixth-best self-sustainable housing-friendliness and is No. 9 in the number of zero-energy buildings. 

  • The Big (Green) Apple: With eco-forward incentives and the best transit score, New York (No. 3) rises to first place in both Policy and Transportation. NYC sustains the most Global Green partners and ties with Baltimore (No. 8) for the most incentives and policies supporting renewables and green energy. 

  • Getting Around Beantown: It’s easy to lead an eco-minded lifestyle inBoston (No. 2), which dominates in Food Production, with high locavore-friendliness and the second-highest number of green restaurants. Boston also takes third place in Transportation and offers the third-highest number of alternative-fuel stations per square mile. 

  • Gas Guzzlers: Wide-open spaces with a car-dependent infrastructure lead to Texas-sized greenhouse-gas emissions. Houston (No. 83) produces the most emissions, and the other major Texas cities aren’t far behind.

    Houston, Dallas (No. 85), San Antonio (No. 64), Fort Worth (No. 157), and Austin (No. 23) also have some of the highest annual excess fuel consumption per car commuter and high levels of landfill waste per capita.