2023's Best Cities for Crafting - LawnStarter Ranking

A man sits among a group of people as he tears out pages out of a big book to create a towering architectural sculpture.

Love to DIY? Whether you’re a needlework novice or a full-time Etsy-preneur, 2023’s Best Cities for Crafting will bring out your inner Martha Stewart.

LawnStarter pieced together this ranking of the 200 biggest U.S. cities using 14 “crafty” metrics.

We looked for easy access to crafting supplies, a big crafting community, workshops for learning new techniques, and plenty of crafting events to attend.

Celebrate National Craft Month this March in one of America’s DIY art capitals below, and find out why some cities’ craft scenes stand out.

City Rankings
Highlights
Stitching Together the Ranking
Local Tips

City Rankings

See how your city and others fared in our ranking:

Overall Rank (1=Best)	City	State	Overall Score	Access Rank	Community Rank	Education Rank	Events Rank
1	New York	NY	69.45	1	1	154	1
2	Los Angeles	CA	41.61	2	3	128	14
3	San Francisco	CA	40.07	29	6	2	2
4	Seattle	WA	35.64	23	2	10	24
5	Houston	TX	34.2	3	29	120	8
6	Austin	TX	32.23	8	4	39	9
7	Atlanta	GA	30.97	34	30	8	4
8	Miami	FL	30.58	4	68	13	16
9	Denver	CO	29.38	10	8	33	13
10	San Jose	CA	28.47	30	16	72	3
11	Portland	OR	27.88	25	10	7	31
12	Cincinnati	OH	27.46	9	18	22	28
13	Baltimore	MD	26.51	37	12	41	5
14	Tucson	AZ	24.45	16	44	27	12
15	Philadelphia	PA	24.12	27	11	71	10
16	Chicago	IL	23.81	14	17	112	15
17	Rochester	NY	23.38	44	99	1	85
18	San Diego	CA	23.24	15	27	54	22
19	St. Louis	MO	22.86	11	31	23	56
20	Pittsburgh	PA	22.72	32	41	5	88
21	Richmond	VA	22.7	43	40	9	11
22	Minneapolis	MN	22.52	95	28	4	19
23	Louisville	KY	22.15	13	22	92	28
24	Phoenix	AZ	21.68	6	35	152	25
25	San Antonio	TX	21.58	5	60	139	42
26	Las Vegas	NV	21.38	7	39	75	34
27	St. Paul	MN	20.95	68	19	94	7
28	Columbus	OH	20.71	38	5	104	37
29	Dallas	TX	19.98	21	15	124	31
30	Grand Rapids	MI	19.85	24	90	15	47
31	Orlando	FL	19.65	17	35	46	43
32	Oakland	CA	18.74	69	47	11	26
33	Fort Lauderdale	FL	18.64	22	68	25	63
34	Colorado Springs	CO	18.47	20	51	40	63
35	Raleigh	NC	18.39	77	13	24	51
36	St. Petersburg	FL	18.27	26	66	16	92
37	Pasadena	CA	18.11	71	56	6	109
38	Eugene	OR	17.64	70	14	20	109
39	Nashville	TN	17.59	19	49	76	43
40	Washington	DC	17.31	54	9	69	71
41	Albuquerque	NM	17.27	18	51	102	36
42	Indianapolis	IN	16.82	33	50	111	18
43	Tampa	FL	16.73	60	56	47	17
44	Jacksonville	FL	16.59	12	75	148	43
45	Tacoma	WA	16.22	42	112	30	30
46	Sacramento	CA	16.12	31	42	59	77
47	Boise	ID	16.04	35	61	42	41
48	Madison	WI	16.02	83	20	43	39
49	Fort Collins	CO	15.88	56	80	12	88
50	Cleveland	OH	15.57	62	77	50	21
51	Knoxville	TN	15.47	28	75	101	39
52	Alexandria	VA	15.3	40	38	31	97
53	Greensboro	NC	15.02	96	98	113	6
54	Salt Lake City	UT	15.02	87	32	18	47
55	Tallahassee	FL	14.37	48	150	61	27
56	Buffalo	NY	14.26	130	25	29	50
57	Fullerton	CA	14.12	159	112	3	180
58	Charlotte	NC	13.69	53	34	108	33
59	Birmingham	AL	13.19	84	130	14	70
60	New Orleans	LA	13.18	45	61	73	56
61	Long Beach	CA	12.97	52	48	67	71
62	Sioux Falls	SD	12.54	55	92	91	35
63	Spokane	WA	12.37	36	99	88	71
64	Kansas City	MO	12.2	75	46	62	69
65	Scottsdale	AZ	12.18	98	80	26	59
66	Omaha	NE	12.04	57	99	78	53
67	Honolulu	HI	11.92	103	112	19	63
68	Winston-Salem	NC	11.73	112	23	60	88
69	Boston	MA	11.42	160	7	119	115
70	Mobile	AL	11.41	39	112	82	115
71	Lincoln	NE	11.41	80	24	131	71
72	Savannah	GA	11.24	105	112	37	43
73	Providence	RI	11.02	81	79	36	127
74	Denton	TX	10.95	66	99	56	142
75	Roseville	CA	10.93	65	84	63	115
76	Salem	OR	10.87	67	51	87	103
77	Tempe	AZ	10.8	72	112	53	115
78	Detroit	MI	10.79	73	33	118	77
79	Reno	NV	10.76	102	92	100	22
80	Lakewood	CO	10.47	61	68	98	115
81	Tulsa	OK	10.45	64	109	114	59
82	Oklahoma City	OK	10.44	58	84	142	53
83	Toledo	OH	10.37	49	61	117	127
84	Hollywood	FL	10.34	146	150	28	55
85	Syracuse	NY	10.28	122	130	32	63
86	Durham	NC	10.26	51	73	126	92
87	Mesa	AZ	10.1	50	51	159	71
88	Virginia Beach	VA	10.07	78	61	127	47
89	Vancouver	WA	9.95	94	35	64	142
90	Milwaukee	WI	9.87	59	74	158	59
91	Santa Ana	CA	9.74	46	130	110	180
92	Norfolk	VA	9.73	179	83	84	20
93	Akron	OH	9.56	155	21	99	103
94	Bellevue	WA	9.54	156	45	35	127
95	Little Rock	AR	9.51	114	169	38	84
96	Chattanooga	TN	9.44	93	51	79	85
97	Torrance	CA	9.29	109	150	45	80
98	Corona	CA	9.27	134	169	21	180
99	Baton Rouge	LA	9.24	90	150	66	77
100	Fort Worth	TX	9.18	63	43	167	92
101	Fremont	CA	9.11	171	109	17	180
102	Murfreesboro	TN	8.66	125	169	34	164
103	Wichita	KS	8.64	74	112	144	71
104	Memphis	TN	8.53	97	150	93	63
105	Anchorage	AK	8.29	110	130	86	62
106	Riverside	CA	8.25	41	150	163	164
107	Dayton	OH	8.19	113	130	58	103
108	Rockford	IL	8.15	118	68	70	115
109	Irvine	CA	8.11	152	58	55	127
110	Plano	TX	8.04	76	84	137	115
111	Chesapeake	VA	8.03	124	26	153	115
112	Macon	GA	8.02	127	127	49	142
113	Clarksville	TN	7.8	131	169	44	164
114	Fort Wayne	IN	7.74	91	109	116	80
115	Fresno	CA	7.73	79	112	149	80
116	El Paso	TX	7.72	47	169	176	142
117	Augusta	GA	7.57	104	150	81	97
118	Charleston	SC	7.52	129	78	95	80
119	Orange	CA	7.52	139	99	52	180
120	Huntsville	AL	7.42	119	127	103	63
121	Springfield	MO	7.27	85	130	129	88
122	Lexington	KY	7.27	92	112	122	92
123	Glendale	CA	7.26	142	130	57	142
124	Sunnyvale	CA	7.18	172	84	48	164
125	Arlington	TX	7.14	89	130	123	97
126	McKinney	TX	7.05	135	58	96	115
127	Bakersfield	CA	7.03	86	130	161	58
128	Jackson	MS	6.93	176	169	51	109
129	Anaheim	CA	6.88	153	99	140	38
130	Waco	TX	6.66	100	169	105	127
131	Huntington Beach	CA	6.61	126	130	77	164
132	Des Moines	IA	6.4	141	130	89	103
133	Aurora	CO	6.07	88	91	157	127
134	Newport News	VA	6	154	130	85	153
135	Kansas City	KS	5.92	82	147	162	127
136	Lubbock	TX	5.91	101	150	145	97
137	Worcester	MA	5.86	174	150	65	180
138	Rancho Cucamonga	CA	5.81	167	150	74	164
139	Mesquite	TX	5.79	136	169	97	153
140	Hampton	VA	5.75	164	169	90	109
141	Amarillo	TX	5.67	116	169	115	153
142	Carrollton	TX	5.67	188	112	68	180
143	Corpus Christi	TX	5.52	99	130	156	109
144	Jersey City	NJ	5.49	195	66	80	180
145	Modesto	CA	5.38	107	112	151	127
146	Peoria	AZ	5.25	137	130	175	51
147	Oceanside	CA	5.2	140	80	130	180
148	Frisco	TX	5.14	138	112	138	109
149	Thornton	CO	5.14	177	169	83	180
150	Joliet	IL	5.05	144	169	109	180
151	Pasadena	TX	4.99	166	169	106	142
152	Surprise	AZ	4.8	185	99	107	127
153	Cape Coral	FL	4.79	157	112	135	127
154	Henderson	NV	4.75	117	112	172	92
155	McAllen	TX	4.7	115	169	155	153
156	Escondido	CA	4.64	170	99	121	164
157	Santa Clarita	CA	4.58	163	147	132	127
158	Chandler	AZ	4.47	150	84	150	153
159	Columbus	GA	4.45	106	169	165	153
160	Pembroke Pines	FL	4.41	151	169	136	153
161	Naperville	IL	4.32	165	92	146	142
162	Fayetteville	NC	4.26	108	99	182	164
163	Montgomery	AL	4.21	123	92	179	127
164	Elk Grove	CA	4.2	147	130	147	164
165	Overland Park	KS	4.11	111	169	186	97
166	Pomona	CA	4.08	192	127	125	115
167	Olathe	KS	4.06	168	150	134	180
168	Palmdale	CA	3.95	158	169	143	180
169	Stockton	CA	3.83	121	92	185	153
170	Glendale	AZ	3.82	148	99	180	103
171	Lancaster	CA	3.8	178	169	141	127
172	Shreveport	LA	3.56	143	169	171	115
173	Santa Rosa	CA	3.55	132	150	177	153
174	Miramar	FL	3.5	200	169	133	97
175	Hayward	CA	3.46	189	150	160	85
176	Chula Vista	CA	3.35	145	130	173	164
177	Salinas	CA	3.14	133	169	183	180
178	Bridgeport	CT	3.08	190	68	168	180
179	Newark	NJ	3.04	194	84	169	103
180	Hialeah	FL	2.66	120	150	197	164
181	Yonkers	NY	2.63	181	150	166	180
182	Garden Grove	CA	2.46	193	169	164	142
183	Garland	TX	2.43	149	150	193	142
184	Laredo	TX	2.39	128	92	198	180
185	San Bernardino	CA	2.39	187	130	170	180
186	Port St. Lucie	FL	2.36	182	169	184	142
187	North Las Vegas	NV	2.22	191	147	174	180
188	Oxnard	CA	2.2	162	150	192	164
189	Fontana	CA	2.19	169	169	187	180
190	Brownsville	TX	2.18	161	169	191	164
191	Paterson	NJ	2.15	197	61	189	164
192	Irving	TX	2.05	175	112	194	127
193	Springfield	MA	1.99	196	150	178	153
194	Warren	MI	1.92	199	169	181	115
195	Killeen	TX	1.79	183	169	188	164
196	Aurora	IL	1.67	186	150	190	153
197	Ontario	CA	1.66	173	169	196	127
198	West Valley City	UT	1.46	180	169	195	164
199	Grand Prairie	TX	0.95	184	169	198	142
200	Moreno Valley	CA	0.2	198	169	198	180

Infographic showing the Best Cities for Crafting, a ranking based on access to crafting supplies, workshops, events, and more — ***Note:*** *For presentation purposes, not all ties may be displayed for some metrics above.*

Highlights

Crafting Capital of America

New York might as well be called “The City That Never Stops Crafting.”

For the second year in a row, The Big Apple handily defeated its competition by dominating three out of four categories: Access, Community, and Events.

However, Gotham lacks enough art schools, classes, and workshops to formally train its enormous population — the city finished 154th out of 200 in Education.

Regardless, crafty creatives won’t struggle to find inspiration outside the classroom in America’s biggest melting pot of cultures and backgrounds.

Materialistic Cities Big and Small

In general, the biggest U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Houston fared best in our ranking. More residents simply means more demand for creative outlets. That’s why these cities collectively showed well in Access, Community, and Events.

That’s not to say smaller cities lack creativity and can’t hold a homemade candle to those crafty behemoths.

Landing at No. 17, for example, is Rochester, New York, home to America’s oldest craft school and to world-class craft artists like sculptor Albert Paley. Richmond, Virginia, secured its place in our top 25 with its thriving craft scene. For nearly 60 years, Richmond has hosted the annual Craft + Design, a nationally attended exhibit showcasing the nation’s best contemporary crafts.

Both cities have populations under 250,000.

Meet Your Maker (at Craft Week)

Want to buy the highest-quality handmade goods or take your craft skills to the next level?

San Francisco (No. 3), Atlanta (No. 7), Baltimore (No. 13), and St. Paul, Minnesota (No. 27) are the places to be. Each of these top performers plays host to American Craft Made, an event that connects art lovers and craft hobbyists with hundreds of America’s top crafting pros.

The national event showcases crafts from all over the U.S., as well as fun and educational activities like workshops, studio tours, and “maker meetups.”

Clear your calendar to visit these handy hubs if you’re serious about your craft and want to show your appreciation for the big players in the industry.

Stitching Together the Ranking

For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we gathered publicly available data on the factors listed in the table below.

We then grouped those factors into four categories: Access, Community, Education, and Events.

Next, we calculated weighted scores for each city in each category.

Finally, we averaged the scores for each city across all categories.

The city that earned the highest average score ranked “Best” (No. 1), while the city with the lowest ranked “Worst” (No. 200).

Notes:

The “Worst” among individual factors may not be No. 200 due to ties among cities.
“National Craft Chains” include Hobby Lobby, HobbyTown, Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts, and Michaels.

Metric	Weight	Lowest Value	Biggest Value	Best
Access
Number of Arts and Crafts Supply Stores	3	4	652	Biggest
Number of National Craft Chain Locations	2	0	16	Biggest
Number of Hardware Stores	1	4	504	Biggest
Number of Thrift Stores	1	0	195	Biggest
Number of Creative Reuse Centers	2	0	2	Biggest
Community
Number of Registered Local Craft Artists	1	0	35	Biggest
Number of Local Artists and Craftspeople Participating in "Artists Sunday"	1	0	8	Biggest
Number of Crafting Meetup Groups	3	0	120	Biggest
Number of National and Regional Craft Organizations	2	0	2	Biggest
Education
Number of Art Classes and Workshops per 100,000 Residents	3	0	14	Biggest
Schools With Craft Workshops And Courses per 100,000 Residents	3	0	3	Biggest
Events
Number of Craft Fairs and Events	3	0	135	Biggest
Number of Arts and Crafts Festivals	3	0	7	Biggest
Hosts American Crafting Council National Conference (1 = Yes, 0 = No)	2	0	1	Biggest

Sources: 10Times, AllEvents, American Craft Council, Artists Sunday, Eventbrite, Everfest, FairsandFestivals.net, Hobby Lobby, HobbyTown, Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts, LocalHarvest, Meetup, Michaels, Renegade Craft Fair, TheThriftShopper.com, Valley Forge Fabrics, Yellow Pages, and Yelp

Local Tips

Want to try your hand at DIY art, market your creations, find inspiration, or support local crafters? Each of our top crafting cities offers unique experiences, spaces, and shops to help nurture your creative side.

Check out the slideshow below for a tour of crafty destinations.

A handful of shoppers browse the stalls at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, New York during a quiet hour. — **New York:** Shop at Renegade, one of the nation’s largest craft fairs, featuring goods made by hundreds of local craftspeople. Support local (craft artists and public schools) year-round at Grand Bazaar NYC, which hosts themed events and popups every Sunday.

For inspiration, check out “Craft Front & Center,” a permanent collection at the Museum of Arts and Design.

Photo Credit: Tom Hilton / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

A shot of the yellow-and-black geometric-patterned façade of the Craft Contemporary museum (formerly the Craft & Folk Art Museum) in Los Angeles — **Los Angeles:** Listen, admire, and create at the Craft in America Center, a public art space that hosts numerous learning opportunities curated by a nonprofit that also produced a Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated documentary series on PBS.

Want to sell your wares? Join the marketplace at the gorgeous CRAFTED space in the Port of LA. Also check out Craft Contemporary, a museum that promotes the work of underrepresented craft artists.

Photo Credit: Sharon VanderKaay / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

A display wall showcases an artfully curated collection of craft supplies, such as spools of thread, crayons, and sewing machines, inside the WorkshopSF space in San Francisco. — **San Francisco:** America’s art mecca is teeming with arts and crafts. Don’t miss the Museum of Craft and Design, the only museum in San Francisco devoted to showcasing craft art and artists.

Sign up for affordable classes on a wide range of craft skills at “DIY School” WorkshopSF in the Western Addition neighborhood. You can find other craft classes throughout the city focusing on specific craft mediums like claymaking and jewelry creation.

Photo Credit: Travis Wise / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Dale Chihuly’s two-story “Sea Life” sculpture, made of thousands of blown-glass “tentacles,” sits inside the Chihuly Glass and Garden museum in Seattle. — **Seattle:** Plan a crafts-focused visit to famed Pike Place Market, where you’ll discover unique handmade goods by hundreds of local and regional artisans. Find vintage photos and jewelry in the Ballard neighborhood’s Curtis Steiner.

For a mesmerizing visual adventure, visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum featuring the one-of-a-kind glass art by Dale Chihuly.

Photo Credit: Topher. / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Stacked display cases showcasing exquisite handcrafted jewelry of metals and stones are featured at the Houston International Gem & Jewelry Show. — **Houston:** Can’t find the right supplies at the big chains? Pick up your needs at the popular Texas Art Supply, boasting an inventory of over 60,000 items. The city ranked second-best for thrifting also is home to unique thrift-and-art-supply-store hybrids like Texas Art Asylum.

Enroll your kids at a summer craft camp organized by the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, where you can also attend craft exhibits, workshops, and events. Buy or sell handcrafted, direct-to-consumer jewelry at the International Gem & Jewelry Show.

Photo Credit: International Gem and Jewelry Show / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Is your grass overgrown? Turn your excess grass into gorgeous wall art, or contact a LawnStarter pro to help transform your yard into a masterpiece.

Main Photo Credit: Pexels

Richie Bernardo

Richie Bernardo is a managing editor who previously wrote about personal finance and immigration. Philippine-born, Kansas City-bred, and barbecue-fed, Richie enjoys baking, deal hunting, and binging “Ancient Aliens.”

Posts by Richie Bernardo

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