Mapped: The Most Walkable Cities in the U.S. & Canada

Which Cities in the U.S. and Canada Are the Most Walkable?

Key Takeaways

• San Francisco’s walkability score (88.7 out of 100) edges out New York (88.0) as the most walkable city in the U.S. and Canada.

• Jersey City ranks third (86.6), ahead of Boston (82.8), and is one of seven smaller cities in major metropolitan areas to make the top 20.

• Six of the 20 most walkable cities are in the Northeast and five are in California. Vancouver is the only Canadian city in the top 20.

Being able to walk to a grocery store, pharmacy, or café without getting in a car is an important consideration for many people choosing where to live.

But walkability depends on more than pedestrian-friendly streets. City boundaries also play a major role, helping explain why some smaller cities outperform much larger neighbors.

This map shows the 20 most walkable of the 130 U.S. and Canadian cities with at least 200,000 residents, using Walk Score’s 2021 city ranking, the latest it has published. Scores range from 0 to 100 and reflect proximity to everyday amenities, population density, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

Compact Cities Are the Most Walkable in the U.S. and Canada

Even the highest-ranked cities fall short of Walk Score’s 90-point threshold for a “Walker’s Paradise,” where daily errands don’t require a car.

All eight Northeastern cities in the 130-city ranking score above 50, averaging 74.7, and six make the top 20: New York, Jersey City, Boston, Newark, Philadelphia, and Buffalo. The West has seven top-20 cities, five in California, but its 39 cities average only 48.7.

The table below ranks the 20 most walkable cities in the U.S. and Canada by Walk Score on a 0–100 scale:

RankCityState/ProvinceWalk Score (Out of 100)

1 San FranciscoCalifornia88.7

2 New YorkNew York88.0

3 Jersey CityNew Jersey86.6

4 BostonMassachusetts82.8

5 VancouverBritish Columbia79.8

6 ChicagoIllinois77.2

7 Washington, DCDistrict of Columbia76.7

8 MiamiFlorida76.6

9 NewarkNew Jersey75.9

10 OaklandCalifornia75.3

11 PhiladelphiaPennsylvania74.8

12 SeattleWashington74.4

13 Long BeachCalifornia73.3

14 MinneapolisMinnesota71.4

15 ArlingtonVirginia71.2

16 Los AngelesCalifornia68.6

17 HialeahFlorida67.9

18 PortlandOregon67.3

19 Santa AnaCalifornia67.1

20 BuffaloNew York66.6

City limits help explain some of the surprising results. Walk Score rates roughly every block in a city, weighted by where people live, so a city whose borders contain mostly its dense urban core can score higher than one that stretches into the suburbs.

That’s how Jersey City (86.6) ranks third, ahead of Boston (82.8). It covers just 15 square miles of land across the Hudson River from Manhattan, about one-twentieth the area of New York City (300 square miles), according to Census Bureau data.

Six other smaller cities in major metropolitan areas also make the top 20: Newark, Oakland, Long Beach, Arlington, Hialeah, and Santa Ana. Los Angeles shows the reverse pattern. Its 469 square miles include much of the San Fernando Valley, and it ranks 16th (68.6), behind neighboring Long Beach (73.3).

Vancouver Is the Only Canadian City Among the 20 Most Walkable

Vancouver ranks fifth (79.8). Across all 22 Canadian cities in the ranking, the average Walk Score is 47.6, nearly identical to the 47.8 average for the 108 U.S. cities.

Transit is where Canadian cities pull ahead. They average a Transit Score of 51.8, compared with 36.0 for U.S. cities, and 17 of the 22 score higher on transit than on walkability. Among the 101 U.S. cities with a Transit Score, only New York and Charlotte do.

The table below shows the Walk Score of all 130 cities, along with their Transit Score and Bike Score:

RankCityState/ProvinceScore (Out of 100)

WalkTransitBike

1 San FranciscoCalifornia88.777.172.3

2 New YorkNew York88.088.669.3

3 Jersey CityNew Jersey86.670.563.9

4 BostonMassachusetts82.872.469.4

5 VancouverBritish Columbia79.874.478.9

6 ChicagoIllinois77.265.072.2

7 Washington, DCDistrict of Columbia76.768.769.5

8 MiamiFlorida76.657.064.0

9 NewarkNew Jersey75.965.051.1

10 OaklandCalifornia75.356.665.5

11 PhiladelphiaPennsylvania74.867.066.7

12 SeattleWashington74.459.671.1

13 Long BeachCalifornia73.348.970.1

14 MinneapolisMinnesota71.455.083.5

15 ArlingtonVirginia71.258.672.3

16 Los AngelesCalifornia68.652.958.7

17 HialeahFlorida67.939.050.6

18 PortlandOregon67.349.382.7

19 Santa AnaCalifornia67.143.362.2

20 BuffaloNew York66.647.562.8

21 HonoluluHawaii65.756.351.0

21 St. LouisMissouri65.742.657.7

23 MontréalQuebec65.467.072.6

24 BaltimoreMaryland64.353.253.4

25 PittsburghPennsylvania62.455.254.9

26 MilwaukeeWisconsin61.548.757.6

27 DenverColorado61.244.671.8

28 TorontoOntario61.078.261.0

29 RochesterNew York60.741.359.9

30 St. PaulMinnesota60.446.464.0

31 BurnabyBritish Columbia60.166.859.5

32 New OrleansLouisiana58.043.965.7

33 ClevelandOhio57.143.952.3

34 AnaheimCalifornia55.733.952.3

35 LongueuilQuebec54.452.569.6

36 San DiegoCalifornia53.337.343.0

37 DetroitMichigan51.135.752.1

38 RichmondVirginia50.950.8

39 San JoseCalifornia50.540.161.5

40 ParadiseNevada50.138.150.1

41 FremontCalifornia49.936.354.4

42 MadisonWisconsin49.734.965.5

43 HamiltonOntario49.645.450.3

44 TampaFlorida49.531.355.2

45 SpokaneWashington49.236.052.1

46 CincinnatiOhio49.144.135.6

47 SacramentoCalifornia49.033.966.9

48 MississaugaOntario48.956.054.1

49 WinnipegManitoba48.551.261.1

50 OmahaNebraska48.224.041.7

51 AtlantaGeorgia47.743.741.7

52 HoustonTexas47.536.248.6

53 FresnoCalifornia46.633.158.1

54 ToledoOhio46.445.6

55 SurreyBritish Columbia46.147.155.9

56 DallasTexas46.038.949.3

57 NorfolkVirginia45.835.746.9

58 SaskatoonSaskatchewan45.745.031.7

59 Chula VistaCalifornia45.635.441.2

60 OttawaOntario45.149.563.6

61 San BernardinoCalifornia45.030.943.6

61 Des MoinesIowa45.030.139.4

63 IrvingTexas44.828.742.0

64 KitchenerOntario44.646.854.9

64 QuébecQuebec44.646.959.3

66 LincolnNebraska44.124.358.5

67 StocktonCalifornia43.725.452.4

68 TucsonArizona43.234.566.3

68 IrvineCalifornia43.225.769.5

70 LavalQuebec43.146.357.3

71 St. PetersburgFlorida43.033.558.5

72 RiversideCalifornia42.729.948.9

73 AlbuquerqueNew Mexico42.628.660.9

74 AuroraColorado42.535.253.3

74 BramptonOntario42.553.354.8

76 WindsorOntario42.437.952.3

77 Las VegasNevada42.035.546.5

78 AustinTexas41.734.854.0

79 PhoenixArizona41.435.655.9

80 ColumbusOhio41.230.247.7

81 OrlandoFlorida41.132.756.8

82 PlanoTexas40.514.852.0

83 El PasoTexas40.428.042.0

84 Corpus ChristiTexas40.326.642.1

85 GarlandTexas40.229.240.6

85 GlendaleArizona40.233.556.5

85 RenoNevada40.224.252.0

85 EdmontonAlberta40.248.639.5

89 Baton RougeLouisiana39.144.3

89 CalgaryAlberta39.149.550.1

91 TulsaOklahoma39.022.747.2

91 LubbockTexas39.020.642.5

93 LondonOntario38.645.052.8

94 BoiseIdaho38.522.662.3

95 ArlingtonTexas38.10.339.5

96 MesaArizona37.927.059.6

97 GatineauQuebec37.440.857.6

98 BakersfieldCalifornia37.324.643.7

99 San AntonioTexas36.930.944.5

100 LaredoTexas36.839.6

101 Colorado SpringsColorado36.118.844.7

102 ChandlerArizona35.424.455.4

103 Kansas CityMissouri35.325.535.0

104 MemphisTennessee35.022.241.2

105 Fort WorthTexas34.921.638.6

106 WichitaKansas34.819.743.9

106 VaughanOntario34.842.844.3

108 MarkhamOntario34.549.346.8

109 LouisvilleKentucky34.327.343.3

109 Lexington-FayetteKentucky34.326.645.7

111 Oklahoma CityOklahoma34.116.940.2

112 North Las VegasNevada33.733.348.5

113 BirminghamAlabama33.221.530.7

114 Virginia BeachVirginia33.120.741.7

115 ScottsdaleArizona31.923.356.4

116 Fort WayneIndiana31.721.741.0

117 RaleighNorth Carolina31.329.439.3

118 IndianapolisIndiana31.024.942.8

119 AnchorageAlaska30.921.651.8

120 DurhamNorth Carolina30.327.537.6

121 HendersonNevada30.024.643.5

122 GreensboroNorth Carolina29.432.2

123 GilbertArizona29.015.152.6

124 NashvilleTennessee28.821.729.7

125 CharlotteNorth Carolina26.427.431.3

126 MontgomeryAlabama25.816.432.9

127 JacksonvilleFlorida25.620.840.5

128 Winston-SalemNorth Carolina22.529.2

129 FayettevilleNorth Carolina21.429.7

130 ChesapeakeVirginia21.313.934.7

One notable omission from the top 20 is Toronto. Its Transit Score of 78.2 is second only to New York’s (88.6), yet its Walk Score of 61.0 ranks 28th, below Buffalo (66.6) and Pittsburgh (62.4).

City boundaries help explain the difference. Toronto’s current borders date to a 1998 merger that combined the old City of Toronto with five neighboring municipalities, including the postwar suburbs of North York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke. Its score now blends downtown’s dense streets with suburban neighborhoods laid out for driving, all served by the same subway and bus network.

The same split appears in the suburbs north of Toronto. Markham (34.5) and Vaughan (34.8) both rank among the 25 least walkable cities, yet Markham’s Transit Score of 49.3 is higher than that of all but 17 of the 101 U.S. cities.

The Least Walkable Cities in the U.S. Are Mostly in the South

Southern cities average a Walk Score of 41.0 and account for 13 of the 20 least walkable cities, including eight of the bottom 10.

Chesapeake, Virginia (21.3), Fayetteville, North Carolina (21.4), and Winston-Salem, North Carolina (22.5) rank last. They’re the only three cities scoring below 25, a range where almost all errands require a car.

Many of these cities have expansive boundaries. Chesapeake was created in 1963 when the small city of South Norfolk merged with what remained of Norfolk County, and it now covers 338 square miles of land. Jacksonville (25.6) and Nashville (28.8), also in the bottom 10, merged with their surrounding counties in 1968 and 1963, respectively.

North Carolina’s six cities in the ranking all fall in the bottom 14, from Raleigh (31.3) down to Fayetteville. From 1959 until 2011, state law let cities annex neighboring areas without the consent of landowners there. Charlotte (26.4) now covers 308 square miles of land, more than New York City (300).

Low walkability can have financial consequences for residents who depend on cars for everyday trips. Among households with auto loans, car ownership costs amount to 18.8% of median household income in Alabama and 17.8% in Florida, compared with 10.6% in Massachusetts, home to fourth-ranked Boston.

While these figures reflect statewide costs rather than individual cities, they highlight the broader financial importance of transportation options.

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Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-most-walkable-cities-us-canada/