Top & Bottom 10 LGBTQ Cities in the US

Real estate company Clever put together a listing of the top and bottom LGBTQ cities in the US and as most of us are still planning vacations and travel for the New Year, we wanted to share the stats!

Clever compiled this info by ranking the States according to state LGBTQ population, PFLAG chapters per state, LGBTQ+ affirming health care providers, current anti-LGBTQ legislation, Pride events, number of gay bars, percentage of the population opposing anti-discrimination laws, percentage of the population opposing same-sex marriage, and presence of "Don't Say Gay" laws, among other factors. A lot of thought went into this research!

Data and images courtesy of Clever

Top 10 Friendliest:

1. San Francisco, California
2. Hartford, Connecticut
3. Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Portland, Oregon
5. Denver, Colorado
6. Los Angeles, California
7. San Diego, California
8. Sacramento, California
9. Chicago, Illinois
10. New Orleans, Louisiana

San Francisco, unsurprisingly takes the lead. With its long LGBTQ history, the city is 37 percent lower than the national average in opposing non-discrimination LGBTQ laws. The city has many inclusive laws on the books and an extremely crowded nightlife with a number of gay clubs serving the community. We've had more than our fill at popular watering hole Midnight Sun and their 3 for 1 happy hour!

Hartford and Vegas have the lowest percentage of people who oppose same-sex marriage. Would never have guessed about Hartford. And we are big fans of the club scene in Vegas...and the go-go boys that work there.

Fun fact: Oregon is the state with the largest percentage of LGBTQ residents with Portland having a high number of LGBTQ-affirming health care providers.

Also a surprise the equality index in Denver, including a gay bar rating of 103% above the average city in the US. Never been to Denver, time to plan a trip!

California, despite a growing conservative presence, is the most LGBTQ-friendly state overall because of policies in place as well as vibrant nightlife.

New Orleans, not surprisingly, has the highest number of gay bars per person in any city, according to Clever. On top of the many Pride events that occur throughout the year, it also boasts a high number of health care providers for the community.

Bottom Friendliest Cities:

1. Memphis, Tennessee
2. Houston, Texas
3. Jacksonville, Florida
4. Birmingham, Alabama
5. Miami, Florida
6. Dallas, Texas
7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
8. Tampa, Florida
9. St Louis, Missouri
10. Kansas City, Missouri

Not many surprises here. Many of these areas are the only cities to have a  "Don't Say Gay" law, clearly targeting the LGBTQ community. These Southern states also have an alarming number of anti-LGBTQ laws currently in legislation already in 2024. Scary. Despite these low numbers, many of these cities do have resilient gay bars or factions not willing to back down so easily. We are really disappointed in the numbers from Dallas because it does really have a thriving gay nightlife and strong community. We need to rally and support our community in these cities!

Have any travel stories from these cities?