The Best Cities For Vegetarians & Vegans

While a lot of us can’t imagine going a day without eating meat, there are plenty of people in this country who swear by the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. And while it’s getting easier and easier to be vegan/vegetarian these days, there are still some areas in the country that provide better options than others.

WalletHub has just come out with their list of the Best Cities for Vegans and Vegetarians. They judged 100 of the largest American cities across 17 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness, in areas of Affordability, Diversity, Accessibility & Quality, and Vegetarian Lifestyle. That includes things like the cost of groceries for vegetarians, the share of restaurants serving vegan and vegetarian options, cities most likely to order vegetarian options, and more.

So, which city is the best?

Portland, Oregon apparently, which scores 61.15 overall. Portland comes in fifth for diversity, accessibility, and quality, although it’s at 38^th for affordability so apparently being vegetarian and vegan there isn’t necessarily cheap. San Francisco, which is seventh overall, is tops for diversity, accessibility, and for a vegetarian lifestyle, while Laredo, Texas is number one for affordability.

Top Ten Most Vegan & Vegetarian-Friendly Cities

As for the least-friendly city for vegans and vegetarians, San Bernardino, California gets the honor, scoring just a 25.11 and landing pretty low on the list in all three categories, especially diversity, accessibility, and quality.

Bad news for vegans and vegetarians in the state. One North Carolina city was ranked one of the worst for vegans and vegetarians in the country. The rankings were compiled by WalletHub by ranking the 100 most populated cities across three key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Diversity, Accessibility & Quality and 3) Vegetarian Lifestyle. And of the five North Carolina cities that fall into the top 50, three were in the bottom 50% and all were in the bottom 60%. And one, well it's the bottom 10 percent of the country.

You may not realize it but approximately 15.5 million U.S. adults are either vegan or vegetarian. Even with that large of a number, it can still be difficult to find vegan/vegetarian-friendly items at restaurants. And when the options are there they tend to be higher priced. But some cities are better equipped for those choosing a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. And thankfully there are several cities that fit that bill.  Many of the cities that are conducive to this type of diet are on the west coast. Though two of the top 10 are in Florida.

To determine the best and cheapest places for a plant-based diet, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities. They did this across 17 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness. Each city was examined based on metrics such as the cost of groceries for vegetarians, the share of restaurants serving meatless options, and salad shops per capita.

You can view the full study here or keep reading to see where each of the largest North Carolina cities ranked in regards to their appeal to vegans and vegetarians. You'll also see the Top 10 cities.

Total Score: 41.65

Affordability: 47

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 54

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 42

Total Score: 41.63

Affordability: 56

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 43

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 6

Total Score: 35.97

Affordability: 49

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 68

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 90

Total Score: 32.86

Affordability: 87

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 60

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 13

Total Score: 31.30

Affordability: 58

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 56

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 91

Total Score:  61.15

Affordability: 38

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 5

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 27

Total Score: 56.49

Affordability: 37

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 2

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 15

Total Score: 52.97

Affordability: 45

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 17

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 2

Total Score: 52.81

Affordability: 19

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 13

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 65

Total Score: 52.81

Affordability: 19

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 13

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 65

Total Score: 51.95

Affordability: 92

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 3

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 3

Total Score: 51.74

Affordability: 99

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 1

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 1

Total Score: 50.90

Affordability: 62

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 9

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 5

Total Score: 50.78

Affordability: 35

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 8

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 19

Total Score: 50.47

Affordability: 15

Diversity, Accessibility, & Quality: 63

Vegetarian Lifestyle: 35