The Most Sustainable U.S. Cities

Sustainability is an important topic that has been gaining increasing attention in recent years, as climate change has begun to create extreme weather conditions across the globe. The United States is the second-largest emitting country in the world of greenhouse gases, and the U.S. is among the top countries in carbon emissions on a per capita basis. With such a large and varied economy, the energy profile of cities varies dramatically around the country.

In this analysis, AdvisorSmith examined data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Census Bureau to study the cities that are the most sustainable nationwide. Our study calculated a sustainability score for 457 metro areas in the U.S., which we call “cities.” We considered factors such as the greenhouse gas emissions per capita, the transportation patterns of commuters, and the mix of renewable energy in each city. Nationwide, Americans emitted an average of 15.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide per capita.

Most Sustainable Large Cities

The nation’s largest city, New York City, with its extensive public transportation system, was the nation’s most sustainable city. NYC had the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per capita among large cities, at 7.5 metric tons per capita, showing the climate benefits of dense urban living. NYC also had the lowest share of commuters driving to work alone, with just under half doing so. The rest of the top 10 cities were all located on the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington. These cities all benefited from the mild climate, which reduced heating and cooling costs, as well as relatively high shares of renewable energy in all of these states. 

Large cities emitted an average of 14.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide per capita, and 79% of commuters drove to work alone on average.

Rank	City	State	Greenhouse Gas Emissions (metric tons of CO2 equivalent)	Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Capita (metric tons of CO2 equivalent)	Driving Alone to Work (%)	Sustainability Score
1	New York	NY	149,803,742	7.5	49%	84
2	Santa Barbara	CA	3,581,617	8.2	68%	79
3	Salinas	CA	3,379,404	7.9	74%	77
4	Seattle	WA	34,498,586	9.4	67%	76
5	San Jose	CA	15,823,392	8.1	75%	76
6	Los Angeles	CA	108,153,540	8.2	75%	75
7	Fresno	CA	7,843,254	8.1	78%	74
8	Portland	OR	22,687,180	9.6	70%	74
9	Oxnard	CA	7,231,542	8.6	79%	71
10	Riverside	CA	39,541,504	8.9	80%	70
11	Salem	OR	3,953,295	9.8	78%	69
12	Modesto	CA	4,666,570	8.8	83%	68
13	Portland	ME	5,337,549	10.2	78%	67
14	Rochester	NY	8,471,154	7.8	81%	66
15	Honolulu	HI	7,710,157	7.8	67%	66
16	Boise	ID	7,066,878	10.6	79%	64
17	Syracuse	NY	5,838,918	8.8	79%	63
18	Spokane	WA	6,240,756	11.5	77%	62
19	Boston	MA	42,296,636	8.9	66%	62
20	Manchester	NH	3,330,559	8.2	82%	58
21	Albany	NY	9,022,025	10.3	78%	58
22	Bridgeport	CT	8,401,699	8.9	71%	56
23	Springfield	MA	5,448,502	8.7	80%	56
24	McAllen	TX	8,087,478	9.8	78%	56
25	Tucson	AZ	9,551,268	9.5	76%	55
26	Providence	RI	13,664,277	8.5	81%	54
27	Provo	UT	5,840,909	10.2	72%	54
28	Las Vegas	NV	23,197,571	11.2	78%	54
29	Philadelphia	PA	59,394,422	9.8	71%	53
30	Colorado Springs	CO	7,705,068	11.2	77%	53
31	Brownsville	TX	4,163,127	9.9	83%	53
32	New Haven	CT	7,719,018	9	78%	53
33	Fayetteville	NC	3,586,383	9.5	82%	53
34	Worcester	MA	9,064,246	9.7	79%	52
35	Reno	NV	5,531,409	12.5	75%	50
36	York	PA	3,970,778	9	85%	50
37	Washington	DC	69,521,463	11.6	65%	50
38	Ogden	UT	6,748,275	10.7	80%	48
39	Tampa	FL	29,830,659	10.2	78%	48
40	Baltimore	MD	30,442,763	10.9	77%	48
41	Salt Lake City	UT	13,192,519	11.4	77%	47
42	Killeen	TX	5,141,079	12	79%	46
43	Cape Coral	FL	7,239,377	10.6	78%	46
44	Anchorage	AK	5,390,600	13.5	78%	44
45	Hickory	NC	4,197,492	11.6	83%	43
46	Albuquerque	NM	11,701,917	12.9	82%	43
47	North Port	FL	8,528,504	11.3	78%	43
48	Orlando	FL	26,787,019	11.5	77%	42
49	Durham	NC	6,720,511	12.4	77%	42
50	Tallahassee	FL	4,212,041	11.2	81%	42
51	Salisbury	MD	4,628,173	11.9	81%	42
52	Charlotte	NC	29,539,651	12.4	79%	41
53	Lancaster	PA	6,260,665	11.7	78%	41
54	Denver	CO	39,293,381	14.3	74%	41
55	Virginia Beach	VA	19,388,504	11.3	81%	41
56	El Paso	TX	10,816,278	12.9	81%	41
57	Pensacola	FL	5,794,617	12.2	75%	41
58	Palm Bay	FL	6,333,200	11.3	83%	41
59	Lakeland	FL	7,122,901	11.2	84%	40
60	Port St. Lucie	FL	5,276,529	11.8	80%	40
61	Jacksonville	FL	17,025,846	12	80%	39
62	Deltona	FL	7,401,025	12.1	79%	39
63	Allentown	PA	9,948,868	12	82%	38
64	Myrtle Beach	SC	5,177,260	12.3	80%	38
65	Chicago	IL	134,904,970	14.2	69%	38
66	Asheville	NC	5,905,373	13.4	79%	37
67	Reading	PA	5,139,809	12.4	81%	37
68	Ann Arbor	MI	4,936,554	13.8	74%	36
69	Minneapolis	MN	52,426,116	15	77%	36
70	Flint	MI	5,409,422	13.1	82%	35
71	San Antonio	TX	34,691,367	14.9	78%	34
72	Greensboro	NC	10,528,497	14.1	80%	34
73	Wichita	KS	10,753,165	16.8	86%	32
74	Harrisburg	PA	7,962,437	14.2	79%	31
75	Lansing	MI	6,857,536	14.6	79%	30
76	Des Moines	IA	10,961,149	17.9	83%	29
77	Lafayette	LA	6,639,648	13.7	87%	28
78	Charleston	SC	10,618,128	14.6	81%	28
79	Winston	NC	9,939,276	15.2	83%	27
80	Detroit	MI	63,793,338	14.8	82%	27
81	Pittsburgh	PA	37,197,801	15.8	75%	26
82	Dallas	TX	115,964,612	16.7	80%	26
83	Oklahoma City	OK	24,316,381	18.2	84%	25
84	Richmond	VA	19,146,296	15.2	80%	25
85	Cleveland	OH	31,609,883	15.3	81%	25
86	Madison	WI	10,534,775	16.6	75%	24
87	Nashville	TN	29,856,741	16.6	79%	24
88	Columbus	OH	30,757,258	15.4	82%	24
89	Bakersfield	CA	17,066,227	19.6	81%	23
90	Akron	OH	10,668,135	15.2	85%	23
91	Davenport	IA	7,318,885	19.1	85%	23
92	Indianapolis	IN	31,837,820	16.2	82%	22
93	Springfield	MO	7,274,903	16.1	83%	22
94	Little Rock	AR	11,781,305	16.2	83%	22
95	Columbia	SC	12,834,569	16	81%	22
96	Savannah	GA	6,203,892	16.7	78%	21
97	Knoxville	TN	14,596,767	17	83%	20
98	Memphis	TN	22,759,868	17	85%	20
99	Cincinnati	OH	35,295,014	16.4	82%	19
100	Kansas City	MO	34,655,008	16.7	84%	19
101	Lexington	KY	8,413,859	17	81%	19
102	Tulsa	OK	21,006,524	21.6	83%	19
103	Huntsville	AL	7,435,949	16.9	86%	18
104	Augusta	GA	9,891,849	16.9	83%	18
105	Houston	TX	121,118,031	18.7	81%	17
106	Omaha	NE	17,107,579	18.9	83%	16
107	Louisville	KY	22,221,751	17.5	82%	16
108	Birmingham	AL	20,067,866	17.6	85%	15
109	Huntington	WV	6,276,255	17.3	85%	15
110	Montgomery	AL	6,671,397	17.8	86%	14
111	Jackson	MS	10,224,130	17.7	83%	13
112	Toledo	OH	10,737,513	17.7	85%	12
113	Youngstown	OH	10,150,167	18.4	84%	10
114	Corpus Christi	TX	11,084,033	24.8	84%	10
115	Chattanooga	TN	10,767,368	19.8	81%	9
116	St. Louis	MO	54,185,650	19.3	83%	8
117	Fort Wayne	IN	8,349,632	19.6	82%	7
118	Beaumont	TX	15,919,271	39.2	90%	7
119	New Orleans	LA	29,550,011	23.6	77%	7
120	Peoria	IL	9,883,224	26.1	84%	5
121	Mobile	AL	8,835,983	21.3	85%	5
122	Canton	OH	8,439,280	20.9	85%	3
123	Shreveport	LA	12,730,330	28.6	85%	2
124	Baton Rouge	LA	37,261,137	45.2	85%	2

Most Sustainable Midsize Cities

Cities in California and the Northeast were the most sustainable midsize cities. Northeastern states had higher shares of renewable energy and relatively lower greenhouse gas emissions than other midsize cities. The only Southern city to make the top 10 was Jacksonville, North Carolina, which has a higher than average proportion of commuters who walk to work. Among midsize cities, the average carbon dioxide emissions per capita were 15.7 metric tons, and an average of 80% of commuters drove to work alone.

Rank	City	State	Greenhouse Gas Emissions (metric tons of CO2 equivalent)	Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Capita (metric tons of CO2 equivalent)	Driving Alone to Work (%)	Sustainability Score
1	Santa Cruz	CA	1,787,370	6.6	69%	85
2	Yuba City	CA	1,246,483	7.4	78%	77
3	Chico	CA	1,790,460	8	76%	76
4	Jacksonville	NC	1,130,424	6.1	70%	73
5	Madera	CA	1,478,616	9.6	73%	70
6	Burlington	VT	2,170,729	10	74%	70
7	Bellingham	WA	2,191,037	10.4	76%	67
8	Kingston	NY	1,530,909	8.5	75%	66
9	Bangor	ME	1,580,401	10.3	80%	65
10	Utica	NY	2,393,461	8.1	82%	65
11	Redding	CA	1,780,294	9.9	82%	64
12	Medford	OR	2,242,593	10.6	80%	64
13	Yakima	WA	2,580,838	10.4	83%	64
14	Binghamton	NY	2,088,733	8.5	82%	63
15	Kahului	HI	1,247,300	7.7	76%	62
16	Hanford	CA	1,730,406	11.5	79%	59
17	Kennewick	WA	3,309,488	12	81%	58
18	El Centro	CA	2,185,370	12.2	79%	56
19	St. George	UT	1,498,060	9.9	72%	56
20	Boulder	CO	3,867,891	12.3	65%	54
21	Torrington	CT	1,548,216	8.4	81%	54
22	Iowa City	IA	2,388,605	14.6	65%	52
23	Yuma	AZ	2,010,186	9.9	80%	52
24	Billings	MT	2,217,434	13.3	83%	49
25	Norwich	CT	2,609,071	9.6	81%	49
26	Hilo	HI	2,259,995	11.7	70%	49
27	Laredo	TX	3,030,540	11.4	81%	48
28	Las Cruces	NM	2,655,235	12.4	77%	48
29	Punta Gorda	FL	1,732,623	10.2	79%	47
30	Fort Collins	CO	4,133,496	12.7	76%	47
31	Wilmington	NC	3,079,709	11.3	77%	47
32	Merced	CA	3,859,377	14.6	77%	47
33	Bloomington	IN	1,915,091	11.7	71%	47
34	Greenville	NC	2,013,375	11.5	79%	45
35	Ocala	FL	3,690,254	10.8	80%	44
36	Erie	PA	3,187,044	11.4	78%	43
37	Vineland	NJ	1,786,291	11.5	80%	41
38	Barnstable Town	MA	2,591,552	12.1	81%	41
39	Dover	DE	1,969,609	11.5	82%	40
40	Rochester	MN	3,107,726	14.6	73%	40
41	East Stroudsburg	PA	2,035,292	12.2	78%	40
42	Crestview	FL	3,171,323	12.3	77%	39
43	Auburn	AL	1,919,893	12.5	81%	39
44	State College	PA	2,104,778	13.2	71%	39
45	Gainesville	FL	3,544,269	13	75%	37
46	Pueblo	CO	2,365,381	14.6	79%	37
47	Athens	GA	2,658,590	13.3	75%	37
48	Lincoln	NE	4,608,426	14.5	81%	37
49	Gainesville	GA	2,573,251	13.5	77%	35
50	Waterloo	IA	2,865,693	16.9	79%	35
51	Chambersburg	PA	1,983,320	13	82%	34
52	Atlantic City	NJ	3,610,251	13.2	79%	34
53	Panama City	FL	2,497,408	12.9	82%	34
54	College Station	TX	3,587,918	14.7	80%	34
55	Warner Robins	GA	2,373,166	12.7	88%	33
56	Sioux Falls	SD	4,335,758	17.5	83%	33
57	Racine	WI	2,623,972	13.5	85%	33
58	Rockford	IL	4,731,942	13.8	84%	32
59	Columbia	MO	2,479,231	14.3	79%	32
60	Muskegon	MI	2,379,469	13.8	85%	30
61	Charlottesville	VA	3,410,463	15	72%	30
62	Lake Havasu City	AZ	3,189,864	15.7	75%	29
63	Albany	GA	2,312,015	14.9	77%	29
64	Johnson City	TN	2,985,823	14.9	86%	28
65	Kalamazoo	MI	4,960,504	14.9	82%	28
66	Janesville	WI	2,412,194	15	82%	27
67	Greeley	CO	4,755,101	17.1	79%	27
68	Burlington	NC	2,368,403	15.1	85%	26
69	Clarksville	TN	4,381,241	15.8	82%	26
70	Jackson	MI	2,389,517	15	85%	25
71	St. Cloud	MN	3,313,992	17.2	80%	25
72	Topeka	KS	4,359,485	18.6	83%	25
73	Hagerstown	MD	4,065,377	15.7	82%	25
74	Columbus	GA	4,770,513	15.3	83%	25
75	Appleton	WI	3,507,777	15.2	86%	25
76	Alexandria	LA	2,437,575	15.8	79%	23
77	Eau Claire	WI	2,700,479	16.3	79%	23
78	Roanoke	VA	4,811,065	15.4	83%	23
79	Houma	LA	3,328,758	15.8	80%	23
80	Saginaw	MI	3,140,852	16.1	84%	21
81	Daphne	AL	3,205,665	16.1	86%	21
82	Sioux City	IA	4,508,208	26.7	81%	21
83	South Bend	IN	5,375,460	16.8	79%	21
84	Lafayette	IN	3,600,464	17	78%	21
85	Waco	TX	4,497,838	17.3	85%	21
86	Fargo	ND	4,349,363	19.1	83%	21
87	Cedar Rapids	IA	6,245,896	23.6	84%	20
88	Lubbock	TX	5,592,168	18.3	79%	19
89	Spartanburg	SC	5,261,720	16.3	83%	19
90	Odessa	TX	2,812,607	18.4	80%	18
91	Bowling Green	KY	2,859,370	17.2	83%	17
92	Bloomington	IL	3,360,838	17.7	81%	17
93	Elizabethtown	KY	2,584,245	17.2	84%	16
94	Jefferson City	MO	2,675,576	17.7	83%	15
95	Joplin	MO	3,143,743	17.9	82%	15
96	Florence	SC	3,491,638	16.9	88%	15
97	Duluth	MN	5,750,745	20.6	82%	13
98	Abilene	TX	3,588,183	21.3	79%	13
99	Champaign	IL	4,835,567	20.4	71%	12
100	Wichita Falls	TX	3,805,317	25.2	79%	12
101	Tyler	TX	4,662,199	21.2	81%	12
102	Midland	TX	7,467,114	46.3	84%	10
103	Amarillo	TX	6,520,083	25	84%	10
104	Longview	TX	7,031,121	32.4	84%	10
105	Fort Smith	AR	5,292,648	18.9	85%	9
106	Tuscaloosa	AL	4,556,494	19.2	84%	9
107	Elkhart	IN	5,379,626	26.7	77%	9
108	Terre Haute	IN	3,693,137	21.5	79%	8
109	Springfield	IL	4,816,863	22.8	82%	7
110	Oshkosh	WI	3,459,898	20.4	82%	6
111	Charleston	WV	4,479,814	20.2	81%	6
112	Green Bay	WI	7,213,326	22.9	84%	5
113	Evansville	IN	7,391,521	23.5	85%	5
114	Decatur	AL	4,029,913	26.3	88%	4
115	Lake Charles	LA	10,993,029	53.9	85%	2
116	Monroe	LA	3,634,690	20.3	86%	2

Most Sustainable Small Cities

All of the top 10 most sustainable small cities were located on the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington, or in New York state. The moderate weather of the West Coast contributed to lower energy usage for heating and cooling. Additionally, all three West Coast states had high shares of renewable energy in use. New York state also had a high share of renewable energy. Among the small cities studied, the average carbon dioxide emissions were 16.5 metric tons per capita, and an average of 81% of commuters drove to work alone.

Rank	City	State	Greenhouse Gas Emissions (metric tons of CO2 equivalent)	Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Capita (metric tons of CO2 equivalent)	Driving Alone to Work (%)	Sustainability Score
1	Oak Harbor	WA	513,112	6.4	71%	87
2	Ithaca	NY	615,615	5.9	60%	85
3	Corvallis	OR	734,880	8.4	67%	80
4	Clearlake	CA	544,016	8.5	65%	79
5	Port Angeles	WA	660,553	9.1	70%	76
6	Shelton	WA	522,768	8.6	75%	76
7	Lewiston	ME	873,896	8.1	80%	75
8	Ogdensburg	NY	756,439	6.8	74%	74
9	Napa	CA	1,242,754	8.8	76%	72
10	Coos Bay	OR	596,141	9.5	78%	70
11	Grants Pass	OR	836,872	10	75%	70
12	Watertown	NY	927,321	7.9	76%	69
13	Plattsburgh	NY	583,691	7.2	84%	68
14	Manhattan	KS	984,793	10.1	72%	67
15	Truckee	CA	1,008,956	10.2	74%	67
16	Ukiah	CA	898,800	10.3	75%	66
17	Augusta	ME	1,217,408	10.1	81%	66
18	Pocatello	ID	907,511	10.8	78%	64
19	Aberdeen	WA	824,958	11.6	74%	63
20	Auburn	NY	665,625	8.4	83%	63
21	Idaho Falls	ID	1,606,744	11.6	76%	62
22	Wenatchee	WA	1,293,496	11.3	79%	62
23	Keene	NH	586,447	7.7	79%	62
24	Missoula	MT	1,319,957	11.7	73%	61
25	Great Falls	MT	906,488	11	79%	61
26	Carson City	NV	509,059	9.4	83%	59
27	Fairbanks	AK	1,082,211	10.8	72%	59
28	Elmira	NY	826,742	9.4	84%	58
29	Coeur d'Alene	ID	1,777,036	12	81%	58
30	California	MD	865,573	7.8	83%	58
31	Kapaa	HI	583,231	8.3	81%	58
32	Olean	NY	781,113	9.9	81%	57
33	Bozeman	MT	1,288,170	13.2	71%	56
34	Logan	UT	1,298,059	9.8	72%	56
35	Alamogordo	NM	685,658	10.5	79%	55
36	Jamestown	NY	1,420,286	10.8	82%	54
37	Morehead City	NC	619,240	9	85%	53
38	Homosassa Springs	FL	1,228,825	8.7	80%	53
39	Red Bluff	CA	822,147	13	78%	53
40	Glens Falls	NY	1,387,698	10.9	82%	53
41	Walla Walla	WA	865,767	13.6	79%	52
42	Pinehurst	NC	955,710	10.3	76%	52
43	Centralia	WA	1,113,403	14.7	72%	51
44	Athens	OH	697,980	10.7	68%	51
45	Pittsfield	MA	1,423,444	11.1	72%	50
46	Goldsboro	NC	1,214,725	9.8	86%	49
47	New Bern	NC	1,311,675	10.3	81%	49
48	Kalispell	MT	1,265,685	13.4	83%	49
49	Helena	MT	1,110,569	14.3	75%	49
50	Concord	NH	1,606,956	10.9	80%	47
51	Lawrence	KS	1,649,921	14.2	79%	46
52	Johnstown	PA	1,379,715	10	84%	46
53	Gettysburg	PA	1,071,447	10.5	80%	46
54	Klamath Falls	OR	961,989	14.6	84%	45
55	Key West	FL	962,870	12.5	64%	45
56	Forest City	NC	735,118	11	84%	45
57	Roseburg	OR	1,636,924	15.2	80%	45
58	Grand Junction	CO	1,905,199	12.9	80%	44
59	Lawton	OK	1,981,031	15.2	72%	44
60	Hermiston	OR	1,354,616	15.4	81%	43
61	The Villages	FL	1,288,885	11.3	79%	43
62	Twin Falls	ID	1,618,755	15.6	81%	42
63	Corning	NY	1,347,040	13.7	79%	42
64	Sunbury	PA	1,043,926	11.2	82%	42
65	Heber	UT	368,680	13.2	72%	41
66	Show Low	AZ	1,405,574	13	74%	41
67	North Wilkesboro	NC	849,724	12.3	82%	40
68	Mount Pleasant	MI	853,582	12.1	81%	40
69	Santa Fe	NM	2,137,030	14.5	75%	40
70	Moses Lake	WA	1,602,441	17.3	76%	37
71	Faribault	MN	1,001,018	15.4	72%	37
72	Mount Vernon	WA	2,069,133	17.2	80%	36
73	Ames	IA	1,602,351	16.9	78%	36
74	Sebastian	FL	1,815,660	12.5	83%	36
75	Indiana	PA	1,146,142	13.1	79%	35
76	Adrian	MI	1,269,144	12.9	84%	35
77	Ocean City	NJ	1,289,406	13.5	76%	35
78	Hot Springs	AR	1,280,636	13.2	83%	34
79	Portsmouth	OH	963,257	12.5	86%	34
80	Stillwater	OK	1,333,327	16.7	79%	34
81	Jonesboro	AR	1,671,415	13.2	84%	34
82	Nacogdoches	TX	1,017,543	15.5	75%	33
83	Meadville	PA	1,181,761	13.6	79%	33
84	Salem	OH	1,348,678	12.8	85%	33
85	Williamsport	PA	1,531,452	13.2	83%	33
86	Morgantown	WV	1,958,092	14.3	76%	33
87	Brainerd	MN	1,434,261	15.6	80%	32
88	Cumberland	MD	1,404,527	14	83%	32
89	Lufkin	TX	1,313,784	15	82%	32
90	Farmington	MO	939,702	14.2	81%	32
91	Mount Airy	NC	1,021,587	14	85%	31
92	La Crosse	WI	1,974,042	14.5	79%	31
93	Kokomo	IN	1,174,747	14.2	81%	31
94	Grand Forks	ND	1,735,234	17.1	79%	31
95	Dubuque	IA	1,703,350	17.7	81%	31
96	Athens	TX	1,188,914	15	84%	31
97	Lumberton	NC	1,888,418	14	87%	31
98	Somerset	PA	1,024,194	13.4	86%	30
99	Altoona	PA	1,727,159	13.7	84%	30
100	Chillicothe	OH	1,050,395	13.6	85%	30
101	Marquette	MI	1,010,834	15	76%	30
102	Shawnee	OK	1,217,139	17	86%	29
103	Traverse City	MI	2,205,720	15	78%	29
104	Winchester	VA	1,903,403	14.3	80%	29
105	Valdosta	GA	2,121,256	14.7	80%	29
106	New Castle	PA	1,293,728	14.6	80%	28
107	Statesboro	GA	1,059,584	14.5	83%	28
108	Rome	GA	1,412,343	14.7	82%	28
109	Shelby	NC	1,455,809	15	85%	27
110	Pottsville	PA	2,093,201	14.4	84%	27
111	Cookeville	TN	1,686,390	15.6	84%	26
112	Flagstaff	AZ	2,389,145	17.3	68%	26
113	Rapid City	SD	2,766,155	19.4	82%	26
114	Wooster	OH	1,814,048	15.7	76%	26
115	Sierra Vista	AZ	2,058,502	16.1	79%	25
116	Russellville	AR	1,298,653	15.3	83%	25
117	Muncie	IN	1,872,517	16.1	77%	25
118	Springfield	OH	2,022,190	14.8	84%	25
119	Beaver Dam	WI	1,379,841	15.6	82%	25
120	Hammond	LA	1,865,576	14.7	85%	25
121	Lewiston	ID	1,257,474	20.2	81%	24
122	Glenwood Springs	CO	1,544,476	20.6	60%	24
123	Hutchinson	KS	1,200,483	18.8	84%	24
124	Sumter	SC	1,643,351	15.3	85%	23
125	Roanoke Rapids	NC	1,151,667	15.7	88%	23
126	Pine Bluff	AR	1,474,680	15.6	86%	23
127	Farmington	NM	2,071,954	16.9	88%	23
128	Longview	WA	2,612,458	25.4	84%	23
129	Holland	MI	1,792,000	15.8	84%	23
130	Brunswick	GA	1,822,672	15.9	82%	22
131	San Angelo	TX	2,108,357	17.9	77%	22
132	Dothan	AL	2,334,086	15.8	87%	22
133	Bluefield	WV	1,655,166	15.8	85%	22
134	Seneca	SC	1,182,138	15.7	85%	21
135	Palatka	FL	1,160,218	16	82%	21
136	Sevierville	TN	1,709,561	18.1	72%	21
137	Tullahoma	TN	1,727,677	17	84%	20
138	Danville	IL	1,325,520	16.6	84%	19
139	Casper	WY	1,406,218	17.4	82%	19
140	Hattiesburg	MS	2,391,694	16.2	83%	19
141	Muskogee	OK	1,364,043	19.5	85%	19
142	Frankfort	KY	1,223,445	17	80%	19
143	Fond du Lac	WI	1,729,868	17	83%	18
144	Greeneville	TN	1,129,692	16.5	91%	18
145	Martinsville	VA	1,139,138	17.3	76%	18
146	Bismarck	ND	2,468,124	19.5	84%	18
147	Kankakee	IL	1,955,982	17.5	80%	18
148	Richmond	IN	1,210,330	18	76%	17
149	Minot	ND	1,528,923	19.7	85%	17
150	Richmond	KY	1,876,347	18	78%	16
151	Hinesville	GA	1,396,983	17.2	83%	16
152	St. Joseph	MO	2,254,971	17.7	82%	16
153	Gadsden	AL	1,731,178	16.7	91%	16
154	Meridian	MS	1,821,370	17.3	81%	15
155	Watertown	WI	1,511,555	17.9	82%	15
156	Parkersburg	WV	1,642,447	17.8	80%	15
157	Morristown	TN	2,087,823	18	85%	15
158	London	KY	2,251,828	17.7	84%	15
159	Victoria	TX	2,571,318	26.1	77%	14
160	Monroe	MI	2,642,332	17.6	87%	13
161	Albertville	AL	1,673,042	17.7	88%	13
162	Rocky Mount	NC	2,733,498	18.3	86%	13
163	Quincy	IL	1,406,397	18.2	84%	13
164	Hobbs	NM	1,826,106	26.5	83%	12
165	Grand Island	NE	2,486,949	29.5	83%	12
166	Danville	VA	1,853,953	17.7	86%	12
167	Roswell	NM	1,298,195	19.8	86%	11
168	Ashtabula	OH	1,815,500	18.3	81%	11
169	Clarksburg	WV	1,706,036	18.1	86%	11
170	Cheyenne	WY	2,673,549	27.7	77%	11
171	Sherman	TX	2,606,406	21	83%	11
172	Marion	OH	1,236,128	18.8	79%	10
173	Texarkana	TX	3,223,243	21.5	84%	10
174	Marion	IN	1,356,459	19.9	76%	9
175	Mansfield	OH	2,240,236	18.4	85%	9
176	Jackson	TN	2,627,837	20.2	80%	9
177	Beckley	WV	2,393,006	19.4	79%	9
178	Talladega	AL	1,836,147	20	78%	9
179	Stevens Point	WI	1,468,755	20.8	79%	8
180	New Philadelphia	OH	1,738,469	18.8	85%	8
181	Cleveland	TN	2,694,767	22.5	83%	8
182	Carbondale	IL	2,553,260	20.2	80%	8
183	Marinette	WI	2,810,428	43.5	80%	7
184	Wilson	NC	1,689,925	20.7	83%	7
185	Harrisonburg	VA	2,643,907	20.3	76%	7
186	Wisconsin Rapids	WI	1,783,741	24.2	81%	7
187	Manitowoc	WI	1,668,544	20.8	81%	7
188	Opelousas	LA	1,583,035	18.9	86%	6
189	Weirton	WV	2,607,981	21.5	80%	6
190	Cullman	AL	1,730,017	21.3	84%	6
191	Warsaw	IN	1,681,190	21.4	82%	6
192	Battle Creek	MI	2,779,162	20.6	82%	6
193	Lebanon	PA	5,108,224	37.3	80%	6
194	Cape Girardeau	MO	2,211,137	22.7	84%	6
195	Owensboro	KY	2,681,539	22.9	83%	5
196	Michigan City	IN	2,991,600	27	84%	5
197	DuBois	PA	1,601,223	19.7	82%	5
198	Sheboygan	WI	2,293,043	19.9	85%	5
199	Zanesville	OH	1,640,986	19.1	88%	5
200	Dublin	GA	1,114,513	19.4	87%	5
201	Columbus	IN	1,802,285	22.5	85%	5
202	Bloomsburg	PA	1,710,929	20.1	83%	4
203	Paducah	KY	2,206,061	22.6	86%	4
204	Dalton	GA	4,159,952	29.1	84%	4
205	Jefferson	GA	1,551,104	25	85%	4
206	Sandusky	OH	1,583,287	20.9	83%	4
207	Florence	AL	3,373,914	22.9	88%	4
208	Orangeburg	SC	1,979,182	22.1	84%	3
209	Lynchburg	VA	9,121,908	91.9	83%	3
210	Decatur	IL	3,213,825	29.6	89%	3
211	Bay City	MI	2,326,553	21.9	88%	3
212	Midland	MI	2,344,520	28.1	88%	3
213	Findlay	OH	2,079,247	27.5	86%	3
214	Wheeling	WV	3,051,852	21.1	88%	2
215	Lima	OH	2,610,008	24.9	87%	2
216	Tupelo	MS	2,940,128	21.1	89%	0
217	Laurel	MS	3,648,453	43	91%	0

Methodology

AdvisorSmith examined data on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon footprints, transportation choices, energy usage, and energy generation sources in 457 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, which we term “cities,” to find the most sustainable cities in the country. We developed a model that assigned a score for each of the considered factors to each city. We also weighted each of the factors and aggregated the score across all weighted factors to create a sustainability score for each city.

We divided the cities into three groups based on population size. Small cities were those with up to 150,000 residents. Midsize cities included those cities that had between 150,000 and 350,000 residents, while large cities were those with over 350,000 residents in the metropolitan area.

Our study included data on air pollution measurements provided by the EPA for each of the cities. We also included data on the means of transportation that commuters use to get to work, considering the number of commuters who drove alone, carpooled, or took public transit.

The heaviest weighted factor in our analysis was the greenhouse gas emissions per capita for each city. This factor was the aggregate metric tons of carbon dioxide (equivalent) emitted per capita for each of the cities. This measure of greenhouse gas emissions includes emissions from residential electricity generation and natural gas, commercial electricity and natural gas, industrial electricity and natural gas consumption, and on-road transportation using gasoline and diesel fuels. We also calculated the mix of renewable energy used in each state’s energy grid and applied this metric to the cities within their respective states.

Sources

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality – Cities and Counties
2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
3. U.S. Department of Energy, City and County Energy Profiles
4. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Net Generation by State by Type of Producer by Energy Source (EIA-906, EIA-920, and EIA-923)