What are the most LGBTQ+-friendly cities in the United States?

A new listing of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the nation — along with the least supportive ones — has been released, ranking the 50 largest cities that support queer people.

The list considered several factors when ranking each of the metros: The reported population of LGBTQ+ people, affirming healthcare providers, number of Pride events, and number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws were all considered, among other factors.

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While San Francisco held onto the top spot — coming as no surprise to anyone who has a passing knowledge of American culture — second-place Hartford, Connecticut, might come as a surprise.

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Other well-known cities that are widely assumed to be queer-friendly didn’t entirely fall in line, either. New York City didn’t make the top 10 list, falling at number 20. Meanwhile, famous southern queer meccas — like Miami, Florida and Dallas, Texas — landed in the bottom five.

New Orleans, Louisiana was the only southern city to make the top 10 list. Seven of the bottom 10 were in the South.

Californian cities placed in the highest rankings four times. Florida cities, located within a hotbed of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and activism, scored in the bottom of the rankings three times.

Fifteen of the most populated cities had their standings immediately lowered because they are in states with “Don’t Say Gay” laws. Memphis, Tennessee was deemed the absolute worst.

The ranking found that Raleigh, North Carolina has the highest number of LGBTQ+-affirming healthcare providers per capita (5.73), while Buffalo, New York had the lowest at just 0.09 providers per capita.

Residents of Providence, Rhode Island, and Nashville, Tennessee are the most supportive of anti-discrimination laws — just 9% of residents oppose them. Kansas City, Missouri and Birmingham, Alabama have the highest opposition rate against such laws, at 33%.

The top 10 most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the United States are:

1. San Francisco, California
2. Hartford, Connecticut
3. Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Portland, Oregon
5. Denver, Colorado
6. Los Angeles, California
7. San Diego, California
8. Sacramento, California
9. Chicago, Illinois
10. New Orleans, Louisiana

The bottom 10 were:

1. Memphis, Tennessee
2. Houston, Texas
3. Jacksonville, Florida
4. Birmingham, Alabama
5. Miami, Florida
6. Dallas, Texas
7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
8. Tampa, Florida
9. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Kansas City, Missouri

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