Study Reveals The Best Cities for Vegetarians and Vegans
Sometimes if you are a Vegetarian or a Vegan it is hard to find restaurants that fit you. Locally here in Charlotte, there are a few places that cater to those with specific dietary needs, but which city has the most?
With October 1st being World Vegetarian Day and November 1st being World Vegan Day, and with the prices of synthetic meat products dropping considerably during the pandemic. In celebration, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2021’s Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians and the best cities for vegetarians and vegans to enjoy some grub.
To determine the best and cheapest places for following a plant-based diet, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 16 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness. The data set ranges from the share of restaurants serving meatless options to the cost of groceries for vegetarians to salad shops per capita.
| Top 20 Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians | |
| 1. Portland, OR | 11. Tampa, FL |
| 2. Orlando, FL | 12. Atlanta, GA |
| 3. Los Angeles, CA | 13. Miami, FL |
| 4. San Francisco, CA | 14. New York, NY |
| 5. Boise, ID | 15. Madison, WI |
| 6. Austin, TX | 16. Washington, DC |
| 7. Seattle, WA | 17. Bakersfield, CA |
| 8. Lexington-Fayette, KY | 18. Chicago, IL |
| 9. Oakland, CA | 19. Fort Wayne, IN |
| 10. San Diego, CA | 20. Las Vegas, NV |
The study revealed that Scottsdale, Arizona, has the highest share of restaurants serving vegetarian options, 27.99 percent, which is 10.1 times higher than in Laredo, Texas, the city with the lowest at 2.77 percent. In addition, Scottsdale also has the highest share of restaurants serving vegan options, 16.41 percent, which is 19.5 times higher than in North Las Vegas, Nevada, the city with the lowest at 0.84 percent.
San Francisco has the most community-supported agriculture programs (per square root of population), 0.0160, which is 20 times more than San Antonio, the city with the fewest at 0.0008. Miami has the most salad shops (per square root of population), 0.2226, which is 18.2 times more than in North Las Vegas, Nevada, the city with the fewest at 0.0122. You can see the full report and your city’s rank here.
