Study: Seattle ranks as one of best cities to live without a car in 2021

Whether it’s the crumbly roads, cracked bridges or ability to work from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more Seattleites are forgoing four wheels in favor of bikes, transit or their own two feet: a new study from Lawnstarter of 150 major U.S. cities ranked Seattle as the 10th best city to live without a car in 2021.

The study analyzed each city using four rankings: access measured a city’s walking, biking and transit score; commuting methods and time measured the amount of people who walk, use transit or ride their bike to work; safety accounted for a city’s violent crime rate and pedestrian fatalities; and climate measured the yearly average of cold and hot days, as well as overall precipitation.

Regionally, cities on the West Coast performed well in the study with four — including Seattle — claiming spots in the top ten while cities in the South scored poorly.

“While performing well in all categories, cities like Portland broke through in access metrics such as the number of walking/hiking routes and bike score,” wrote the researchers. “And with milder temperatures, West Coast cities also received high scores on climate metrics.”

Despite the steep hills that can make a stroll to the grocery store feel like a hike, the Emerald City has plenty of walkable neighborhoods and even ranks as the eighth most walker-friendly city in the nation.

Here’s a look at 2021’s best cities for living without a car.

10. Seattle, WA

Access rank: 17

Commuting methods and time rank: 4

Safety rank: 122

Climate rank: 47

9. Minneapolis, MN

Access rank: 13

Commuting methods and time rank: 8

Safety rank: 101

Climate rank: 49

8. Providence, RI

Access rank: 10

Commuting methods and time rank: 15

Safety rank: 23

Climate rank: 130

7. Oakland, CA

Access rank: 8

Commuting methods and time rank: 13

Safety rank: 117

Climate rank: 5

6. Honolulu, HI

Access rank: 23

Commuting methods and time rank: 12

Safety rank: 67

Climate rank: 3

5. New York, NY

Access rank: 16

Commuting methods and time rank: 6

Safety rank: 19

Climate rank: 118

4. Boston, MA

Access rank: 20

Commuting methods and time rank: 3

Safety rank: 38

Climate rank: 84

3. Washington, DC

Access rank: 12

Commuting methods and time rank: 1

Safety rank: 116

Climate rank: 69

2. Portland, OR

Access rank: 1

Commuting methods and time rank: 5

Safety rank: 78

Climate rank: 31

1. San Francisco, CA

Access rank: 7

Commuting methods and time rank: 2

Safety rank: 81

Climate rank: 5