To assess the best and lowest-cost locations within cities for following a vegan or vegetarian diet, WalletHub has assessed the 100 most populous cities across seventeen key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-‘friendliness’. The data collated ranges from the share of restaurants serving vegan or vegetarian options, to the relative of groceries for vegetarians, and to the proportion of salad shops per capita.
The research reveals that the top 10 U.S. cities for vegans and vegetarians are:
1 Portland, OR
2 Los Angeles, CA
3 Orlando, FL
4 Seattle, WA
5 Austin, TX
6 Atlanta, GA
7 New York, NY
8 San Francisco, CA
9 San Diego, CA
10 Tampa, FL
Within the data there are some interesting variations. In terms of the area with the greatest number of areas for vegetarians, Scottsdale, Arizona, has the highest share of restaurants serving vegetarian options at 20.14 percent. This stands as 12.5 times more than in Laredo, Texas, the city with the lowest at just 1.61 percent.
Laredo also finishes bottom based on a different assessment – salad. The survey found that New York has the highest number of salad shops (per square root of population), at 0.2724. This is 27.5 times more than in Laredo (the city with the fewest at 0.0099).
Other metrics assessed were: affordability, diversity, accessibility and quality and vegetarian lifestyle.
The following video summarizes the research and shows how the metrics were compiled:
Assessing locations where dietary and lifestyle needs are met is improtant. According to a 2019 Harris Poll commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group, about ten million U.S. adults are vegan or vegetarian. in addition, many millions more opt for one or more ‘meat free’ days each week.
