We all know San Francisco’s a haven for healthy eaters and mindful exercisers. But did you know that if it wasn’t so expensive, it would be the #1 city in the nation for vegans?
Right now, it sits at #7 on WalletHub’s list of the best city for vegetarians and vegans, a deceptively low position due only to San Francisco’s high restaurant and grocery pricing.
According to the survey, 15.7 million Americans live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, which means on vacation or at home, we’re looking for plant-based meals. Luckily, supply responds to demand, so in some places you can even get vegan options at fast food chains (remember how exciting it was when we first started to be able to get a Beyond burger or an Impossible burger at the drive-through?)
For its study of the best places for a plant-based diet, WalletHub looked at the 100 largest American cities, applying 17 metrics that indicate vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness: the cost of groceries for vegetarians, the percentage of restaurants serving meatless options, the number of salad shops per capita. Other metrics were whether the city had a regular farmers’ market, if there were juice bars, community gardens, organic farms and whether the city hosts a vegetarian festival.
Interestingly, San Francisco was the absolute worst (#100 out of 100) for affordability, but the absolute best for the two other categories (#1 out of 100): diversity, accessibility and quality, and vegetarian lifestyle. If you ask us, it’s pretty wild to zigzag between the rankings like that! Oakland also made the list at $13; its veggie-friendly ratings weren’t as highly ranked as San Francisco, though its affordability was slightly better.
Outside of the Bay Area, it seems natural that the best cities are warmer ones with better climates to grow fruits and vegetables year-round. Six of the top 10 cities are in California and Florida. The best city overall was our neighbor to the south, Los Angeles, which ranked 13th for affordability, 17th for diversity, accessibility and quality, and 4th for vegetarian lifestyle. Maybe we’ll pull it together to beat them next time—we’ve just got to get our prices down for avocados!
Here are the top 10 best U.S. cities for vegetarians and vegans:
1. Los Angeles, California
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Portland, Oregon
4. San Diego, California
5. Seattle, Washington
6. Austin, Texas
7. San Francisco, California
8. Miami, Florida
9. Phoenix, Arizona
10. Tampa, Florida