2022’s Best Biking Cities in America

Staff Report

Wednesday, May 25th, 2022

Cycling is kicking back into high gear amid rising gas prices, but which U.S. cities are most ideal for Americans who prefer to pedal their way around town?

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.

Check out the 10 best (and worst) cities for two-wheelers below, followed by key insights from our report.

 
 

2022’s Best Biking Cities in   America

Rank

City

1

San Francisco, CA

2

Minneapolis, MN

3

New York, NY

4

Portland, OR

5

Eugene, OR

6

Boston, MA

7

Denver, CO

8

Seattle, WA

9

Washington, DC

10

Chicago, IL

 

2022’s Worst Biking Cities in America

Rank

City

1

Baton Rouge, LA

2

Jackson, MS

3

Pasadena, TX

4

Murfreesboro, TN

5

Montgomery, AL

6

Sunrise Manor, NV

7

Hollywood, FL

8

Chesapeake, VA

9

Enterprise, NV

10

Jacksonville, FL

Highlights and Lowlights:

  • Big-City Speeds: The bigger the city the better it rides on our list. Here’s why: Large metros need to invest in good biking infrastructure to support high population density. That’s reflected in our top biking cities, such as San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, and New York: Each claimed one of the best spots in our “Access” category.

    Eugene, Oregon, is the exception. Although smaller than the other nine cities in our top 10, Eugene managed to get ahead because cycling is clearly a lifestyle: The city ranked No. 3 in Access, No. 5 in Community, and No. 8 in Safety.

  • Tour de San Francisco: For the second year in a row, The Golden City is also our gold medalist. 

    You might wonder why a city defined by its steep hills could be the best city for avid cyclists, but it’s those challenging inclines that help bikers develop strong endurance — and legs. That and San Francisco simply has a lot going for it: The city coasted through just about every category but owes its win particularly to Access and Climate.

  • Pulling the Brakes on the South: While no single region dominated the top of our ranking, the South and Southwest claimed much of the bottom spots. In fact, the last 10 places are all occupied by cities from these two regions.

    That’s no surprise: Biking requires a lot of outdoor time. Warm and wet don’t mix well with cycling. It also makes sense that many of these cities have few bike trails and bike commuters: Why invest in the infrastructure if the climate makes it hard to ride out anyway?

Our full ranking and analysis can be found here: https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-biking-cities/