Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
For some Americans, pedaling is a way of life. These people prefer to get around on two wheels over walking or driving.
But which U.S. cities are most ideal for avid cyclists?
To mark World Bicycle Day on June 3, LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best Biking Cities in the U.S.
We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on 24 key indicators of a cyclist-friendly lifestyle, such as access to bike lanes and bike rentals, the share of bike commuters, the presence of cycling clubs, and the number of bike races and tours.
Following are the best American cities for biking.
1. San Francisco, CA
Overall Score: 72.13
Access Rank: 1
Safety Rank: 27
Climate Rank: 7
Community Rank: 4
Events Rank: 5
2. Minneapolis, MN
Overall Score: 65.52
Access Rank: 5
Safety Rank: 1
Climate Rank: 153
Community Rank: 7
Events Rank: 12
3. New York, NY
Overall Score: 64.45
Access Rank: 4
Safety Rank: 9
Climate Rank: 152
Community Rank: 12
Events Rank: 2
4. Portland, OR
Overall Score: 63.4
Access Rank: 2
Safety Rank: 12
Climate Rank: 63
Community Rank: 2
Events Rank: 20
5. Eugene, OR
Overall Score: 62.21
Access Rank: 3
Safety Rank: 8
Climate Rank: 95
Community Rank: 5
Events Rank: 28
6. Boston, MA
Overall Score: 61.57
Access Rank: 11
Safety Rank: 2
Climate Rank: 114
Community Rank: 16
Events Rank: 17
7. Denver, CO
Overall Score: 60.94
Access Rank: 9
Safety Rank: 10
Climate Rank: 83
Community Rank: 11
Events Rank: 9
8. Seattle, WA
Overall Score: 60.18
Access Rank: 6
Safety Rank: 21
Climate Rank: 81
Community Rank: 3
Events Rank: 31
9. Washington, D.C.
Overall Score: 59.34
Access Rank: 16
Safety Rank: 20
Climate Rank: 104
Community Rank: 1
Events Rank: 15
10. Chicago, IL
Overall Score: 57.1
Access Rank: 33
Safety Rank: 3
Climate Rank: 192
Community Rank: 18
Events Rank: 7
11. Madison, WI
Overall Score: 54.66
Access Rank: 17
Safety Rank: 7
Climate Rank: 183
Community Rank: 9
Events Rank: 125
12. Fort Collins, CO
Overall Score: 54.23
Access Rank: 7
Safety Rank: 34
Climate Rank: 79
Community Rank: 6
Events Rank: 94
13. Albuquerque, NM
Overall Score: 53.78
Access Rank: 15
Safety Rank: 23
Climate Rank: 55
Community Rank: 50
Events Rank: 29
14. San Diego, CA
Overall Score: 53.53
Access Rank: 25
Safety Rank: 30
Climate Rank: 11
Community Rank: 28
Events Rank: 12
15. San Jose, CA
Overall Score: 52.89
Access Rank: 14
Safety Rank: 28
Climate Rank: 4
Community Rank: 40
Events Rank: 39
Methodology
We ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities from best (No. 1) to worst (No. 200) for biking based on their overall scores (out of 100 possible points), averaged across all of the weighted metrics listed below.
- Friendliness of State Bike Laws
- Miles of Bike Lanes per Square Mile
- Number of Bike Trails
- Bike-Sharing Program Present
- Bike-Rental Facilities per Square Mile
- Bike Shops per Square Mile
- Bike Score
- Share of “Moderately Difficult” and “Hard” Biking Trails
- Biking-Related Fatalities per 100,000 Residents
- Vision Zero Program Present
- Bike Thefts per 100,000 Residents
- Share of Roads in Poor Condition
- Natural Hazards Index
- Historical Number of Extremely Cold Days
- Historical Number of Extremely Hot Days
- Historical Average Monthly Inches of Precipitation
- Historical Average Percentage of Sunshine
- Median Air Quality Index
- Share of Workers Who Bike to Work
- Number of Bike Clubs
- Number of Bike Meetups
- Number of Cycling Races and Events
- Number of Bike Tours
- Naked Bike Ride Present
Sources: AllTrails, Bikeshare.com, Bike Index, The League of American Bicyclists, Meetup, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, National Centers for Environmental Information, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TRIP, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USA Cycling, Vision Zero Network, Walk Score, World Naked Bike Ride, and Yelp
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