Memphis Tops List of the Least LGBTQ+-Friendly Cities in the US

At the beginning of October, we dropped our list of the 18 LGBTQ+-Friendly Big Cities in the USA, and now we’ve just spotted a new list that not only ranks the queer-friendliest cities but also the least welcoming in the US. 

Clever, a real estate data company, published a new study that ranks America’s most LGBTQ+-friendly major cities. While San Francisco came in as the most LGBTQ-friendly city in America, Memphis came in as the least-friendly alongside Houston and Jacksonville, Florida.

Before we reveal more of this study’s findings, it might be good for you to know that the criteria to determine which cities were the most LGBTQ+-friendly were based on Clever’s weighted rankings which included:

• Percent of the state population that is LGBTQ
• Percent of the state population that is LGBTQ
• Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) chapters per 100,000 residents  
• Designated LGBTQ-affirming healthcare providers per capita
• Number of anti-trans legislation passed at the state level
• Pride events per 100,000 residents
• National LGBT Chamber of Commerce chapters 
• Percentage of residents opposing anti-discrimination laws
• Gay bars per 100,000 residents
• Percentage of residents opposing same-sex marriage
• Municipal equality score
• State equality tally score
• Inclusive curricular standards
• Parental opt-out laws
• “Don’t Say Gay” laws

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With all that in mind, the 10 least LGBTQ-friendly cities are:

1. Memphis, TN
2. Houston, TX
3. Jacksonville, FL
4. Birmingham, AL
5. Miami, FL
6. Dallas, TX
7. Oklahoma City, OK
8. Tampa, FL
9. St. Louis, MO
10. Kansas City, MO

The bottom 10 cities collectively hold an average state equality tally score of -3.15, starkly contrasting with the national average of 16.7. Furthermore, these metros display an average of just 0.22 gay bars per 100,000 residents, indicating a 27% deficit compared to the study’s average of 0.3.

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On the flip side, according to the study, the top 10 most LGBTQ+-friendly cities are:

1. San Francisco, CA
2. Hartford, CT
3. Las Vegas, NV
4. Portland, OR
5. Denver, CO
6. Los Angeles, CA
7. San Diego, CA
8. Sacramento, CA
9. Chicago, IL
10. New Orleans, LA

Surprisingly, New York City comes in at the No. 20 spot while cities like Baltimore, MD; Milwaukee, WI; and Minneapolis, MN ranked higher respectively in the No. 14, 15, and 16 spots. There are also a significant number of cities that are in California, too – four out of the top 10.

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Other Major Takeaways:

• San Francisco is America’s most LGBTQ-friendly city, while Memphis is the least friendly. 

• California has the highest state equality tally score (100), while Tennessee has the lowest (-11.5).

• Fifteen of the 50 most-populous metros in the U.S. are located in states with “Don’t Say Gay” laws.
• New Orleans has the most pride celebrations per capita (0.32), while Houston has the fewest (0.01).

• New Orleans has the most gay bars per 100,000 residents (1.43), while Riverside, California, has the fewest (0.06).

• Raleigh, North Carolina, has the highest number of LGBTQ-affirming healthcare providers per capita (5.73), while Buffalo, New York, has the lowest at just 0.09 providers per capita.

• Providence, Rhode Island, and Nashville, Tennessee, residents are the most supportive of anti-discrimination laws. Just 9% of residents oppose them. Kansas City, Missouri, and Birmingham, Alabama, have the highest opposition rate at 33%.

You can check out Clever’s full study here: https://listwithclever.com/research/most-lgbtq-friendly-cities/#ranking.

So what do you think? What are some of the most and least welcoming cities in the US?