An estimated 18 million Americans, give or take, are vegan or vegetarian. And some domestic destinations do a better job than others when it comes to catering to that meatless multitude.
The personal finance company WalletHub set out to find the best U.S. cities for following a plant-based diet, with researchers measuring a range of factors such as the share of restaurants serving meatless dishes, the availability of veggie-friendly gatherings and special events, and, crucially, the affordability of plant-based meals in the 100 most populous U.S. cities.
Recognizing that cost is often cited as a main concern for those considering going vegan or vegetarian, WalletHub's analysts made affordability account for a third of each city's total score, giving a boost to places with lower food prices.
Some metrics, such as the average cost of fruits and vegetables at grocery stores, seem geared toward actually living in a given place. But others, particularly data on restaurant options and festivals celebrating the herbivorous lifestyle, are helpful for vegan and vegetarian travelers dreaming of U.S. getaways.
Where Vegan and Vegetarian Travelers Will Find the Most Options—and Save Money
Nobody will be surprised to find famously eco-friendly Portland, Oregon, at the top of WalletHub's ranking.
The city not only has a plethora of restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options, the analysis found, but a high percentage of those establishments have at least 4.5 out of 5 stars on Yelp, indicating a crowded field of vetted crowd-pleasers.
Portland's food prices rank near the middle of the pack, too, so restaurant meals are relatively affordable when compared with the exorbitant tabs you can run up in other cities.
Second-place finisher Los Angeles likewise gets high marks for its abundance of high-quality plant-based restaurant dishes, as well as for the city's many opportunities for communing with like-minded veggie aficionados at events such as the Vegandale festival and Vegan Street Fair.
Coming in third is Austin, Texas, which also has a wide array of highly rated veggie restaurant offerings, plenty of fun-loving events such as Texas VegFest, and "surprisingly low" food prices.
Meanwhile, Anchorage, Alaska, placed dead last on the 100-city ranking, largely due to the high price of fruits and vegetables there—a perennial issue in the remote state.
Two barbecue-loving locales—Memphis, Tennessee, and Greensboro, North Carolina—fared only slightly better, coming in at 98 and 99, respectively, on WalletHub's list.
The 10 Best U.S. Cities for Vegans and Vegetarians, According to WalletHub
- Portland, Oregon
- Los Angeles
- Austin, Texas
- San Francisco
- Oakland, California
- Phoenix
- Miami
- Seattle
- Orlando, Florida
- Madison, Wisconsin
To see the full ranking of 100 U.S. cities as well as more details about methodology and advice from experts about going vegan or vegetarian, visit WalletHub.com.