Best (and Worst) Cities for Vegetarians and Vegans

Vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise for a multitude of reasons, from documentary movies revealing the treatment of the animals humans consume to the economic and environmental impacts of consuming meat and other animal-based foods. Cities around the world are more well-aware than ever that they need to satisfy visitors of any dietary choice or taste. A study conducted by WalletHub resulted in a list of the best U.S. cities for vegetarians and vegans using 17 criteria, including the number of restaurants that serve meatless options, the cost of groceries for non-meat eaters and the number of salad shops per capita. And the results are in.

Best

The top 10 cities for vegetarians and vegans, where it’s easiest to find a plant-based meal, are:

• Portland, Oregon
• Los Angeles
• Orlando
• Seattle
• Austin
• Atlanta
• New York City
• San Francisco
• San Diego
• Tampa

In terms of the number of restaurants that have vegetarian and vegan options, Scottsdale comes out on top

Worst

Laredo, Texas, and Newark, New Jersey, have the fewest restaurants with vegetarian and vegan meals, respectively. The highest number of community-supported agriculture programs can be found in San Francisco, while the lowest is in San Antonio, Texas. And finally, New York City has the most salad shops per square root of the population (0.2724) while Laredo, Texas, has the fewest salad shops (0.0099).