US City rankings

Cleanest Cities in the United States

Portland, OR has the highest Cleanliness Score (596.8), followed by Vancouver, WA (596.8) and Hillsboro, OR (596.8). New York, NY has the lowest (337.7).

Environment76 cities · 8 metricsUpdated Oct 28, 2026Original page
3 sources
76 of 477 cities
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Cleanliness Score

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Best first: the first 15 and last 5 of 76 cities.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one city; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
461.9
Middle half 423.0 – 475.2
Average
455.7
76 cities
Highest
596.8
Portland, OR
Lowest
337.7
New York, NY

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

76 cities · # = rank by Cleanliness Score
#
1Portland, OR596.8A+
1Vancouver, WA596.8A+
1Hillsboro, OR596.8A+
4Seattle, WA572.1A
4Tacoma, WA572.1A
4Bellevue, WA572.1A
7Rochester, NY541.7A-
8Detroit, MI516.7B+
8Warren, MI516.7B+
8Dearborn, MI516.7B+
11Minneapolis, MN512.6B+
11Bloomington, IN512.6B+
13Pittsburgh, PA499.9B
14Richmond, VA495.2B
15Denver, CO484.1B
15Aurora, CO484.1B
15Centennial, CO484.1B
18Phoenix, AZ475.2B
18Mesa, AZ475.2B
18Chandler, AZ475.2B
21Kansas City, MO473.7B-
22New Orleans, LA472.4B-
22Metairie, LA472.4B-
24Milwaukee, WI469.6B-
24Waukesha, WI469.6B-
26Atlanta, GA465.6B-
26Sandy Springs, GA465.6B-
26Roswell, GA465.6B-
29Las Vegas, NV465.3B-
29Henderson, NV465.3B-
29North Las Vegas, NV465.3B-
32San Jose, CA462.8B-
32Sunnyvale, CA462.8B-
32Santa Clara, CA462.8B-
35Baltimore, MD462.5B-
35Columbia, MD462.5B-
35Towson, MD462.5B-
38Raleigh, NC461.9B-
38Cary, NC461.9B-
40Riverside, CA454.2B-
40San Bernardino, CA454.2B-
40Ontario, CA454.2B-
43Cleveland, OH453.6B-
44Miami, FL448.8C+
44Fort Lauderdale, FL448.8C+
44West Palm Beach, FL448.8C+
47Memphis, TN445.6C+
48Tampa, FL442.0C+
48St. Petersburg, FL442.0C+
48Clearwater, FL442.0C+
51San Antonio, TX441.8C+
51New Braunfels, TX441.8C+
53San Francisco, CA432.7C+
53Oakland, CA432.7C+
53Fremont, CA432.7C+
56Oklahoma City, OK428.4C+
57Cincinnati, OH427.5C+
58Birmingham, AL409.6C
59Dallas, TX408.1C
59Fort Worth, TX408.1C
59Arlington, TX408.1C
62Chicago, IL402.1C
62Naperville, IL402.1C
62Elgin, IL402.1C
65Washington, DC401.6C
65Arlington, VA401.6C
65Alexandria, VA401.6C
68Houston, TX379.1C-
68Pasadena, TX379.1C-
68The Woodlands, TX379.1C-
71Philadelphia, PA365.2D+
71Wilmington, DE365.2D+
73Los Angeles, CA353.9D+
73Long Beach, CA353.9D+
73Anaheim, CA353.9D+
76New York, NY337.7D

What correlates with Cleanliness Score?

Pearson r against 39 other city metrics sharing at least 46 cities. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Cleanliness Score tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Dating Opportunities RankBest Cities for Single MenA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.45 · moderate · n = 53
    Plot
  2. Divergence RankMost Racist Cities in AmericaA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = +0.40 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Total ScoreBest Cities for Single Men
    r = +0.35 · moderate · n = 53
    Plot
  4. Economics RankBest Cities for Single MenA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.16 · weak · n = 53
    Plot
  5. Burglary Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)
    r = +0.15 · weak · n = 69
    Plot
  6. Bachelor’s Degree or Higher (% of Adults 25+)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)
    r = +0.15 · weak · n = 71
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Cleanliness Score tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Average Commute (Minutes)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 71
    Plot
  2. Nonwhite-White DissimilarityMost Racist Cities in America
    r = −0.44 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Hispanic-White DissimilarityMost Racist Cities in America
    r = −0.38 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Population
    r = −0.37 · moderate · n = 76
    Plot
  5. Black-White DissimilarityMost Racist Cities in America
    r = −0.32 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  6. Segregation IndexMost Racist Cities in America
    r = −0.30 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot

Quick answers

Which US city has the highest Cleanliness Score?
Portland, OR has the highest Cleanliness Score, at 596.8, followed by Vancouver, WA (596.8) and Hillsboro, OR (596.8).
Which US city has the lowest Cleanliness Score?
New York, NY has the lowest Cleanliness Score, at 337.7.
What is the median Cleanliness Score across US cities?
The median is 461.9 across the 76 US cities with data.
Where does this cleanest cities in the united states data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Cleanest Cities in the United States: A 2025 Study - Oxi Fresh; Measuring America's People and Economy - US Census Bureau; Crime Data Explorer - FBI. Last updated 2026-10-28.

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