The 10 Greenest Cities in the U.S.

As climate change becomes a growing concern—negatively affecting bee populations, thawing permafrost, and more—many cities are embracing “green” living. To see which American cities are doing the most to lessen their impact on the environment, check out the list below.

Personal finance site WalletHub ranked the top 100 largest cities in the country after scoring them in four categories: environment, transportation, energy sources, and lifestyle and policy. Together, the categories cover 28 key indicators, including water quality, “green” job opportunities, and greenhouse-gas emissions per capita. Based on these metrics, researchers calculated a score for each city on a 100-point scale and ranked the final numbers.

California is home to the most eco-friendly cities in the U.S., with the state taking six out of 10 spots on the list. First place goes to San Diego, California, which boasts the highest number of solar panels per capita. The city also has the country’s second lowest urban heat island effect index, which measures temperatures in urban centers compared to surrounding rural areas. Large cities tend to be hotter on average due to their higher concentrations of roads, buildings, and carbon emissions. The difference in temperatures between San Diego and its surrounding areas, however, is minimal compared to other metros.

Washington, D.C., is next on the list. It has the most community supported agriculture groups (CSAs) and community gardens per capita of any U.S. city. Moreover, D.C. gets almost half its energy from renewable sources.

Honolulu, Hawaii, has the second-lowest greenhouse gas emissions and the third-best air quality in America, placing it third on the list. The city is also highly accommodating to cyclists, meaning commuting residents don’t burn as much gas.

Continue scrolling to see the rest of the 10 greenest cities in the U.S.

Overall Ranking	City	Total Score	Environment Rank	Transportation Rank	Energy Sources Rank	Lifestyle & Policy Rank
1	San Diego, California	72.63	4	26	3	2
2	Washington, D.C.	71.83	9	4	5	5
3	Honolulu, Hawaii	69.3	2	3	33	6
4	San Franciso, California	67.88	19	2	23	4
5	San Jose, California	67.43	12	16	2	25
6	Seattle, Washington	67.33	31	5	17	3
7	Oakland, California	66.95	17	19	4	8
8	Portland, Oregon	66.66	45	12	15	1
9	Fremont, California	66.18	1	23	6	43
10	Irvine, California	65.50	7	32	6	11

You can find the complete ranking of the 100 largest cities on WalletHub.

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