Smart Growth America has put together an authoritative ranking of the most walkable cities in the US as part of its 2023 Foot Traffic Ahead Report. The study identifies what percent of the 35 largest US metropolitan regions are considered walkable, and ranks the regions accordingly.

So what exactly makes a city walkable? The final list is determined by combining two key walkability metrics, according to Rodriguez, who co-authored the report: the EPA’s Smart Location Database and the American Enterprise Institute's Walkable Oriented Development Database. The two databases assign walkability scores based on different factors, the main one being if people can walk from their residences to essential “amenities” such as grocery stores, offices, and gyms, explains Michael Rodriguez, Director of Research at the non-profit group Smart Growth America. The EPA database also factors in a city's built environment, like the distance between blocks and access to public transportation, he adds.

The Smart Growth America ranking also takes an area's development density into consideration (when buildings are constructed close together, they facilitate walking). That means some of the metro areas on the list, such as Los Angeles, may have a number of highly walkable neighborhoods, but might not be considered “walkable” across the board.

The 20 most walkable cities in the U.S.:

1. New York
2. Boston
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Seattle
5. Portland
6. San Francisco
7. Chicago
8. Los Angeles
9. Pittsburgh
10. Philadelphia
11. Minneapolis-St. Paul
12. Miami
13. Charlotte
14. Austin
15. Atlanta
16. Denver
17. Cleveland
18. Houston
19. Columbus
20. Baltimore

Source: Smart Growth America, Condé Nast