Earth Day is April 22 each year. Here in 2022, sustainability has never been more relevant or urgent. Here are some interesting results for which U.S. cities are the Most and Least Sustainable in 2022.

Save this article to Pinterest for some interesting data about Sustainable Cities. Graphic by Real Food Traveler.

Driving an electric car, drinking from compostable cups, growing food in our own gardens — every eco-conscious choice we make can help save our planet. But which cities are the leaders and laggers of our sustainable future?

To mark Earth Day on April 22, LawnStarter ranked 2022’s 10 Most Sustainable Cities (and 10 cities dragging their collective feet this Earth Day) below, followed by some highlights and lowlights from the report:

2022’s Most Sustainable Cities

Rank + City
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Rochester, NY
3. New York, NY
4. Boston, MA
5. Oakland, CA
6. Salt Lake City, UT
7. Sacramento, CA
8. Syracuse, NY
9. Des Moines, IA
10. St. Louis, MO

Hungry for more? Plan a weekend getaway to San Francisco with this guide.

2022’s Least Sustainable Cities

Rank + City
185. Garland, TX
186.Olathe, KS
187. Pasadena, TX
188. Glendale, AZ
189. Gilbert, AZ
190. Thornton, CO
191. Miramar, FL
192. Pembroke Pines, FL
193. Mesquite, TX
194. Peoria, AZ

Hungry for more? Get the stats on how past presidents fly.

Highlights and Lowlights

Gold Is the New Green: The Golden State dominates our sustainability leaderboard. Our top 10 includes three California cities — San Francisco at No. 1 — plus three more in our top 20. It’s easy to see why: The state was first to both propose banning sales of gas-powered cars and construct a high-speed rail line, among other groundbreaking innovations. While other states are making incremental changes, California is implementing sweeping reforms.

Policy Powerhouse: New York State is another towering presence in our ranking with three cities in our top 10, including Rochester (No. 2), the Big Apple (No. 3), and Syracuse (No. 8).

These three cities set the gold standard in Earth-friendly policies like Gotham’s recent gas ban in new buildings. But can they put their money where their mouths are? That is, are their green policies actually reducing their carbon footprint? That depends: Each city is strong in some categories and weak in others, but Rochester is by far the strongest in the pack.

Transporting Cities to a Cleaner Future: When it comes to green transportation, bigger cities are driving the nation. That’s because these cities are forced to find sustainable solutions to their density problems, including transportation.

San Francisco, New York, and Boston claimed the top three spots overall, mirroring their rankings in Transit Score. Following in fourth place is Seattle, which is currently expanding its light rail system to connect the entire Puget Sound Region.

The full ranking and analysis can be found here: ​​https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/most-sustainable-cities/