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The Most and Least Green Cities in America
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Urban green spaces benefit the environment by cooling cities, reducing pollution, and managing rainwater. They also improve people’s health by providing places to exercise, socialize, and relax.
This map shows 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 cities across four key dimensions:
- Environment, including air quality and greenhouse gas emissions;
- Transportation, such as commuting alone, biking, and walking scores;
- Energy Sources, like the share of renewable sources; and
- Lifestyle & Policy, such as community gardens and green job opportunities (recycling efforts were excluded).
Where the Grass is Really Greener
California dominates the top of the list, with six of the top 10 greenest cities. Leading the pack is San Diego, scoring 72.6 on a scale of 0-100.
| Rank | Greenest Cities | Score | Rank | Least Green Cities | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego, CA | 72.6 | 100 | Glendale, AZ | 35.8 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | 71.8 | 99 | Hialeah, FL | 36.4 |
| 3 | Honolulu, HI | 69.3 | 98 | Houston, TX | 36.9 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | 67.9 | 97 | Mesa, AZ | 37.2 |
| 5 | San Jose, CA | 67.4 | 96 | Baton Rouge, LA | 37.3 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | 67.3 | 95 | Gilbert, AZ | 37.8 |
| 7 | Oakland, CA | 67.0 | 94 | Chandler, AZ | 39.6 |
| 8 | Portland, OR | 66.7 | 93 | Newark, NJ | 40.5 |
| 9 | Fremont, CA | 66.2 | 92 | Detroit, MI | 40.6 |
| 10 | Irvine, CA | 65.5 | 91 | Louisville, KY | 41.3 |
Washington, D.C., comes in second with 71.8 and is the only city in the East to rank among the best.
Arizona is the Least Green
Four of the least green cities are in Arizona, with Glendale topping the list.
As reported by azcentral, Glendale, Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler ranked especially low in environmental quality indicators. This is due to factors like the intensity of the urban heat island effect, limited green spaces, and poor air and water quality.
In addition, Arizona is expected to face some of the most severe impacts from climate change in the coming decades. Data from the Climate Impact Lab suggests the state will see a significant rise in average annual temperatures, with many more days exceeding 90 degrees.
Major cities like Houston and Detroit also rank low in the study.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic that shows 20 years of U.S. transport emissions.
The post Mapped: The Most and Least Green Cities in America appeared first on Visual Capitalist.