With October being National Energy Awareness Month and more than half of Americans saying stricter environmental regulations are worth the cost, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Greenest Cities in America, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
To determine which cities promote a “green” lifestyle, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 28 key indicators of environmental friendliness and sustainability. The data set ranges from greenhouse-gas emissions per capita to green job opportunities to number of smart-energy policies and initiatives.
| Greenest Cities in America | Least Green Cities in America |
| 1. San Diego, CA | 91. Louisville, KY |
| 2. San Francisco, CA | 92. Detroit, MI |
| 3. Portland, OR | 93. Houston, TX |
| 4. Irvine, CA | 94. Hialeah, FL |
| 5. Honolulu, HI | 95. Newark, NJ |
| 6. Fremont, CA | 96. Chandler, AZ |
| 7. Washington, DC | 97. Baton Rouge, LA |
| 8. Oakland, CA | 98. Glendale, AZ |
| 9. Seattle, WA | 99. Mesa, AZ |
| 10. San Jose, CA | 100. Gilbert, AZ |
Best vs. Worst
- Lubbock, Texas, has the lowest median air-quality index, 20, which is six times lower than in Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale and Scottsdale, Arizona, the cities with the highest at 119 (Lowest index = Best).
- Anchorage, Alaska, has the most green space, 84.17 percent, which is 48.3 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the least at 1.74 percent.
- New York has the highest walk score, 88, which is 4.2 times higher than in Chesapeake, Virginia, the city with the lowest at 21.
- Honolulu has the most farmers markets (per square root of population), 0.113415, which is 71.3 times more than in Arlington, Texas, the city with the fewest at 0.001590.
