2021’s Best Cities for Living Without a Car

In a car-obsessed culture, more Americans than ever prefer to get around on their own two feet. 

Living without wheels, using public transit and walking are increasingly common as Americans’ main means of travel, especially with more of us working from home during the pandemic.

In fact, nearly one in 10 U.S. households didn’t have a vehicle in 2019, and the percentages are many times higher in major cities.

So which city is best equipped to make your carless lifestyle problem-free?

LawnStarter ranked 2021’s Best Cities for Living Without a Car. We compared the 150 biggest U.S. cities across 20 key metrics, from a city’s walkability and transit ridership to its climate. Scroll down for the results, key takeaways, expert insights and more.

After sitting down and reading our study, you just might feel inspired to take a stroll.

Table of Contents

1. City Rankings
2. Highlights and Lowlights
3. Methodology

City Rankings

See how each city fared in our ranking:

OVERALL RANK	City	Overall Score	Access Rank	Commuting Methods and Time Rank	Safety Rank	Climate Rank
1	San Francisco, CA	65.62	7	2	81	5
2	Portland, OR	63.87	1	5	78	31
3	Washington, DC	62.62	2	1	116	69
4	Boston, MA	59.90	20	3	38	84
5	New York, NY	59.15	16	6	19	118
6	Honolulu, HI	58.14	23	12	67	3
7	Oakland, CA	56.22	8	13	117	5
8	Providence, RI	56.05	10	15	23	130
9	Minneapolis, MN	55.54	13	8	101	49
10	Seattle, WA	55.44	17	4	122	47
11	Jersey City, NJ	55.40	18	10	31	126
12	Salt Lake City, UT	54.87	3	17	93	67
13	Mesa, AZ	53.80	4	59	15	71
14	Tucson, AZ	53.79	5	26	89	43
15	Madison, WI	52.37	48	7	76	120
16	Los Angeles, CA	52.18	15	49	56	27
17	Irvine, CA	52.03	52	47	3	15
18	Santa Rosa, CA	51.77	59	50	16	1
19	Tempe, AZ	51.49	33	18	41	71
20	Boise City, ID	51.28	29	34	21	53
21	San Jose, CA	50.87	41	66	34	4
22	Huntington Beach, CA	50.78	25	112	17	15
23	Santa Ana, CA	50.76	50	41	22	15
24	St. Paul, MN	50.65	40	28	28	49
25	Lexington, KY	50.63	9	56	52	68
26	Chicago, IL	50.58	19	14	84	146
27	Oxnard, CA	50.39	69	51	18	2
28	San Diego, CA	50.12	42	60	33	8
29	Long Beach, CA	49.99	27	82	37	14
30	Buffalo, NY	49.90	30	19	50	110
31	Fremont, CA	49.47	66	97	8	5
32	Newark, NJ	49.22	31	24	40	126
33	Philadelphia, PA	48.86	21	11	131	91
34	Omaha, NE	48.61	12	88	54	108
35	Denver, CO	48.34	22	27	87	105
36	Yonkers, NY	48.28	78	25	6	126
37	Rochester, NY	48.13	37	22	79	94
38	Salem, OR	47.89	74	43	27	28
39	Pittsburgh, PA	47.88	39	9	121	131
40	Louisville, KY	47.33	6	92	92	124
41	Sacramento, CA	47.31	57	38	72	29
42	Riverside, CA	47.05	79	57	30	15
43	Phoenix, AZ	46.58	11	61	113	71
44	Lincoln, NE	46.41	68	44	36	45
45	Reno, NV	45.98	64	35	63	51
46	Glendale, CA	45.83	51	109	71	15
47	Albuquerque, NM	45.73	28	68	104	42
48	Austin, TX	45.29	43	52	62	93
49	Nashville, TN	45.23	14	91	100	113
50	Miami, FL	45.15	24	45	110	86
51	Ontario, CA	45.11	95	111	13	15
52	Vancouver, WA	45.08	71	79	46	31
53	Grand Rapids, MI	44.76	61	31	74	114
54	Virginia Beach, VA	44.69	110	99	4	35
55	Colorado Springs, CO	44.64	26	76	102	56
56	Baltimore, MD	44.62	53	23	108	116
57	Santa Clarita, CA	44.41	134	141	1	15
58	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	44.40	99	144	9	15
59	Las Vegas, NV	44.38	38	116	90	39
60	Scottsdale, AZ	44.38	54	123	26	71
61	Anaheim, CA	44.26	67	70	91	15
62	Lubbock, TX	44.18	55	48	118	12
63	Norfolk, VA	44.16	88	21	109	35
64	Spokane, WA	44.11	58	46	86	54
65	Chula Vista, CA	43.95	107	136	20	8
66	New Orleans, LA	43.88	34	16	134	139
67	San Bernardino, CA	43.79	44	62	124	15
68	El Paso, TX	43.49	85	104	35	34
69	Tampa, FL	43.41	62	72	65	63
70	Oceanside, CA	43.16	133	138	14	8
71	Newport News, VA	42.83	125	55	39	35
72	Henderson, NV	42.72	118	137	10	39
73	Worcester, MA	42.67	87	36	57	132
74	Gilbert, AZ	42.50	108	139	2	71
75	Glendale, AZ	42.49	77	67	58	71
76	Fontana, CA	42.27	131	128	29	15
77	Moreno Valley, CA	42.21	141	117	24	15
78	Richmond, VA	42.18	60	20	132	58
79	Aurora, IL	42.17	91	98	7	146
80	Milwaukee, WI	41.95	46	32	127	92
81	Tacoma, WA	41.90	75	65	97	47
82	Akron, OH	41.61	83	81	44	115
83	Aurora, CO	41.58	80	101	43	105
84	Anchorage, AK	41.56	70	37	107	112
85	Durham, NC	41.27	101	73	51	57
86	Garland, TX	41.08	112	122	12	95
87	Laredo, TX	40.85	111	90	32	81
88	Amarillo, TX	40.82	104	93	53	52
89	Orlando, FL	40.69	56	110	96	85
90	Toledo, OH	40.69	89	77	70	89
91	Modesto, CA	40.66	91	134	77	33
92	Tulsa, OK	40.64	36	83	115	136
93	Cleveland, OH	40.49	45	29	135	138
94	Columbus, OH	40.38	93	71	59	125
95	North Las Vegas, NV	40.27	113	135	49	39
96	Greensboro, NC	40.21	140	130	60	13
97	Elk Grove, CA	40.15	130	127	61	29
98	Raleigh, NC	39.91	96	129	48	65
99	St. Louis, MO	39.80	32	42	137	144
100	Bakersfield, CA	39.63	123	119	64	46
101	St. Petersburg, FL	39.61	35	84	136	63
102	Fayetteville, NC	39.58	148	33	55	65
103	Dallas, TX	39.57	72	85	103	95
104	San Antonio, TX	39.37	81	86	98	107
105	Chandler, AZ	39.36	90	105	80	71
106	Fresno, CA	39.14	76	64	129	44
107	Port St. Lucie, FL	38.95	150	132	5	61
108	Fort Wayne, IN	38.93	122	108	42	121
109	Chesapeake, VA	38.86	144	146	25	35
110	Arlington, TX	38.59	124	125	45	95
111	Houston, TX	38.55	63	87	106	149
112	Hialeah, FL	38.39	49	131	123	86
113	Corpus Christi, TX	38.33	115	103	83	60
114	Oklahoma City, OK	38.22	119	113	68	109
115	Plano, TX	38.13	86	148	69	95
116	Stockton, CA	38.10	84	80	119	55
117	Fort Worth, TX	38.08	116	120	73	95
118	Fort Lauderdale, FL	38.08	47	78	138	86
119	Irving, TX	37.98	102	106	88	95
120	Atlanta, GA	37.92	82	40	133	82
121	Des Moines, IA	37.60	97	63	112	90
122	Sioux Falls, SD	37.59	127	89	94	70
123	Charlotte, NC	37.50	137	114	75	62
124	Wichita, KS	37.44	109	102	99	79
125	Detroit, MI	37.40	73	30	142	129
126	Baton Rouge, LA	37.38	100	54	105	148
127	Peoria, AZ	37.09	120	133	85	71
128	Cape Coral, FL	37.05	146	145	11	122
129	Cincinnati, OH	37.05	65	39	125	150
130	Jacksonville, FL	36.50	126	107	95	117
131	Brownsville, TX	35.98	106	115	111	80
132	Knoxville, TN	35.38	132	58	120	104
133	Tallahassee, FL	35.22	103	53	128	140
134	Grand Prairie, TX	34.94	142	142	82	95
135	McKinney, TX	34.81	135	150	66	95
136	Frisco, TX	34.80	143	149	47	95
137	Kansas City, MO	34.00	129	124	114	133
138	Indianapolis, IN	33.33	105	95	130	142
139	Columbus, GA	32.54	147	94	126	59
140	Chattanooga, TN	32.20	121	75	139	135
141	Augusta, GA	31.09	94	74	145	137
142	Memphis, TN	30.35	98	96	143	141
143	Birmingham, AL	29.86	128	69	144	143
144	Overland Park, KS	29.65	117	147	141	133
145	Mobile, AL	29.26	139	143	140	119
146	Winston-Salem, NC	28.76	149	118	148	11
147	Huntsville, AL	28.59	114	140	147	83
148	Little Rock, AR	26.96	136	100	149	111
149	Montgomery, AL	26.16	145	121	146	145
150	Shreveport, LA	25.83	138	126	150	123

Highlights and Lowlights

Walking on the West Coast

Pacific Coast cities dominated our list with four — five if you count Honolulu — of the top 10 cities for living without a car. Cities like Portland, while performing well in all categories, broke through in access metrics such as the number of walking/hiking routes and bike score.

And with milder temperatures, West Coast cities also received high scores on climate metrics.

Commuting Across BosWash

The Northeast Corridor performed equally well in all car-free categories. The region, also known as BosWash — meaning everything between Boston and Washington, D.C. — has a dense population and multiple transit options.

Cities like Washington, D.C., while scoring lower in safety and climate metrics, ranked high on commuting metrics such as the share of residents who walk or bike to work.

Alone in Alabama

The South scored poorly in our study, but Alabama had all four of its large cities ranking in the bottom 10. While places like Mobile and Montgomery have low walk and bike scores, the biggest hits to the Yellowhammer State were in the climate category.

Methodology

We ranked the 150 most populated U.S. cities in descending order based on their individual score totals. The city that scored the highest ranked No. 1, or “best.”

Sources: AllTrails, City-Data.com, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gun Violence Archive, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Transportation, Walk Score and Yelp

Main Photo Credit: Shutterstock