Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Everyone wants the American dream — a home in a safe and supportive community — including LGBTQ people.
That’s why LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities this Pride Month.
We compared nearly 200 of the biggest U.S. cities based on 19 indicators of an ideal LGBTQ city, such as their equality index, the share of same-sex households, and the presence of LGBTQ support groups.
We also factored in affordability, safety, access to LGBTQ-friendly health care, and Pride-readiness.
Check out the best and worst cities for the LGBTQ population below.
1. San Francisco, CA
Overall: 71.69
Equality: 1
Community Support: 4
Affordability: 177
Safety: 139
Health Care Access: 2
Pride-Readiness: 3
2. Fort Lauderdale, FL
Overall: 71.33
Equality: 105
Community Support: 1
Affordability: 42
Safety: 75
Health Care Access: 12
Pride-Readiness: 4
3. Orlando, FL
Overall: 62.75
Equality: 105
Community Support: 2
Affordability: 65
Safety: 101
Health Care Access: 24
Pride-Readiness: 2
4. Seattle, WA
Overall: 62.08
Equality: 22
Community Support: 6
Affordability: 125
Safety: 170
Health Care Access: 1
Pride-Readiness: 18
5. Pittsburgh, PA
Overall: 60.47
Equality: 83
Community Support: 7
Affordability: 76
Safety: 97
Health Care Access: 5
Pride-Readiness: 12
6. Atlanta, GA
Overall: 59.42
Equality: 123
Community Support: 5
Affordability: 10
Safety: 105
Health Care Access: 7
Pride-Readiness: 6
7. Portland, OR
Overall: 59.17
Equality: 24
Community Support: 9
Affordability: 129
Safety: 145
Health Care Access: 21
Pride-Readiness: 50
8. Richmond, VA
Overall: 58.89
Equality: 47
Community Support: 11
Affordability: 89
Safety: 58
Health Care Access: 25
Pride-Readiness: 25
9. Denver, CO
Overall: 58.14
Equality: 10
Community Support: 13
Affordability: 39
Safety: 166
Health Care Access: 16
Pride-Readiness: 13
10. Providence, RI
Overall: 57.65
Equality: 35
Community Support: 24
Affordability: 155
Safety: 42
Health Care Access: 27
Pride-Readiness: 7
11. Boston, MA
Overall: 57.61
Equality: 31
Community Support: 10
Affordability: 161
Safety: 164
Health Care Access: 10
Pride-Readiness: 45
12. Oakland, CA
Overall: 57.57
Equality: 1
Community Support: 14
Affordability: 171
Safety: 148
Health Care Access: 17
Pride-Readiness: 47
13. Long Beach, CA
Overall: 57.29
Equality: 1
Community Support: 19
Affordability: 188
Safety: 79
Health Care Access: 61
Pride-Readiness: 15
14. Sacramento, CA
Overall: 56.91
Equality: 1
Community Support: 15
Affordability: 156
Safety: 85
Health Care Access: 48
Pride-Readiness: 37
15. Las Vegas, NV
Overall: 56.32
Equality: 16
Community Support: 38
Affordability: 84
Safety: 87
Health Care Access: 72
Pride-Readiness: 5
Methodology
We ranked 196 of the largest U.S. cities from best (No. 1) to worst (No. 196) based on their overall scores (out of 100 possible points), averaged across all the weighted metrics listed below.
- Municipal Equality Index Score
- State Equality Index Score
- Same-Sex Households per 1,000 Households
- LGBTQ Support/Resource Centers per 100,000 Residents
- LGBTQ Support Groups per 100,000 Residents (1=Yes, 0=No)
- LGBTQ Social Groups per 100,000 Residents
- LGBTQ Nonprofits and Charities per 100,000 Residents
- Metropolitan Community Churches per 100,000 Residents
- Unitarian Universalist Churches per 100,000 Residents
- Presence of LGBTQ Chambers of Commerce
- Cost of Living Index
- Average Annual Household Income
- Sexual Orientation- and Gender-Related Hate Crimes per 100,000 Residents
- Crime Index
- LGBTQ-Friendly Health Providers per 100,000 Residents
- LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists per 100,000 Residents
- Number of Pride Events
- Gay Bars and Clubs per 100,000 Residents
- LGBTQ-Friendly Accommodations per 100,000 Residents
Sources: CenterLink, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gay Pride Calendar, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, GreatNonprofits, Human Rights Campaign, Metropolitan Community Churches, misterb&b, Movement Advancement Project, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Unitarian Universalist Association, and Yelp
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