This Is the Best U.S. City for Vegans and Vegetarians

Approximately 5 percent of Americans identify as either vegetarian or vegan, according to Gallup. That may seem like a small percentage, but it stacks up to more than 16 million people across the nation—and they certainly deserve a chance to have a great meal on their travels, too. That’s exactly why WalletHub put together a list of the best cities for vegetarians and vegans in 2025.

In September, the personal finance website revealed its list, which it determined by comparing the 100 most populated cities across three key metrics: affordability, diversity, accessibility, quality, and “vegetarian lifestyle.” That included looking at everything from the average cost of groceries for vegetarians and vegans, the number of restaurants with vegetarian and vegan offeringsand for the vegetarian lifestyle, the availability of vegan and vegetarian festivals.

After doing all this digging, it named Portland, Oregon, as the top spot for those who want their meals without meat.

“One contributing factor is that it has the second-largest number of affordable restaurants with vegetarian or vegan options that have at least 4.5 stars on Yelp,” the team explained. “In addition, the city has a very high number of organic farms, community gardens, farmers’ markets, and vegetable nurseries per capita.”

It also noted that if you do visit Portland as a vegetarian, know you’ll be in good company as residents of Portland order “this type of cuisine 148 percent more often than the U.S. average. Portland also has the ninth-highest percentage of people who consume vegetables daily.”

As chef Aaron Adams at the upscale vegan restaurant A week explained to Travel + Leisureit should come as no surprise that Portland was named No. 1. “(The people here) are deeply concerned with ethics and the environment,” he says. “Animal welfare is a big part of that, and veganism is represented here probably to a higher percentage than I’ve experienced anywhere else in the country. We have dozens of dedicated vegan restaurants and food carts operating here, and most of them are thriving.” His go-to favorite restaurants in the area include My Heelsthe Orange & Blossom patisserie, and Obon Shokudo.

Diana Edelmana vegan food and lifestyle expert, concurred. “What makes Portland so great for vegans and vegetarians is the community,” she says.

She pointed to local content creator Waz Wuwho is helping lead the charge in making veganism more accessible for those living and visiting the city. “She founded Veganizer PDXwhich focuses on plant-based events, and launched Circle V Portland last year, a vegan food and drink festival,” Edelman says. “She also organizes an annual World Vegan Month event in the city and brings together restaurants, food carts, and pop-ups that have vegan specials for the month.”

But Portland isn’t alone in offering great vegan and vegetarian options. Los Angeles, California, came in a close second, with WalletHub noting that L.A. residents eat plant-based meals 187 percent more often than the U.S. average. It added that the “city has the second-highest number of affordable restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options that have at least 4.5 stars on Yelp.” Rounding out the top three is Austin, Texas, thanks to having the seventh-most juice and smoothie bars, the fourth-most vegetarian cooking classes per capitaand the ninth-most community gardens per capita.

Need more veggie-forward spots? See the full list at WalletHub’s website.