America's 10 Most Walkable Cities for 2026 Ranked by Walk Score
For 2026, Walk Score has identified the top ten most walkable cities in the United States: San Francisco (88.7), New York City (88.0), Boston (82.8), Chicago (77.2), Washington, D.C. (76.7), Miami (76.6), Oakland (75.3), Philadelphia (74.8), Seattle (74.4), and Long Beach (73.3). These rankings consider factors such as the closeness of amenities, population density, block length, and intersection density. The average score for 130 U.S. cities with populations over 200,000 stands at 48. San Francisco benefits from the car-free JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, which was approved in November 2022. New York's congestion pricing, set to begin on January 5, 2025, has already decreased traffic by 11%.
Key facts
- San Francisco ranks first with a Walk Score of 88.7.
- New York City ranks second with 88.0, and 55% of its households are car-free.
- Boston's Walk Score is 82.8, with Beacon Hill and Chinatown-Leather District scoring 99.
- Chicago's Lakefront Trail is 18.5 miles long.
- Washington, D.C. has a Walk Score of 76.7, with height restrictions keeping streets human-scaled.
- Miami's Walk Score is 76.6, boosted by the Art Deco Historic District.
- Oakland's Walk Score is 75.3, with Fruitvale Village as a transit-oriented model.
- Philadelphia's Walk Score is 74.8, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage City.
- Seattle's Walk Score is 74.4, after the Alaskan Way Viaduct removal opened Waterfront Park.
- Long Beach's Walk Score is 73.3, and the Queen Mary has fully reopened as a hotel.
Entities
Institutions
- Walk Score
- San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
- Cornell University
- UNESCO
- National Park Service
- Smithsonian Institution
- BART
- Seattle Aquarium
- Aquarium of the Pacific
Locations
- San Francisco
- California
- New York City
- New York
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- Chicago
- Illinois
- Washington, D.C.
- Miami
- Florida
- Oakland
- Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania
- Seattle
- Washington
- Long Beach
- United States
Sources
- Quartz —