(KOIN/NEXSTAR) – Are you one of the 340 million Americans who eats food from time to time?
Oh, good! You’ll want to take a look at this new WalletHub study.
WalletHub, the personal finance website, has ranked over 180 of America’s most populous cities in order of “foodie-friendliness” based on a smorgasbord of metrics related to accessibility, diversity and quality. Each city was also graded on the overall affordability of its dining options and groceries, to present a list that highlights not just the tastiest but also the cheapest “Foodie Cities in America,” according to WalletHub.
To the surprise of few, Charleston, South Carolina, topped cities in the Carolinas. However, the Southern culinary hotbed was 30th overall in the country, well behind Richmond, Virginia. (15) and Atlanta (12). it was docked in the “affordability” category, ranking 113.
Charlotte was the highest-ranking city in North Carolina, coming in between Salt Lake City and Louisville, Kentucky.
At the top of the national list, perhaps surprisingly, is Orlando, Florida, which ranked high in terms of accessibility, diversity, and quality thanks to its large number of well-reviewed restaurants, ice cream parlors, coffee shops and specialty food stores. The city, however, did not score so high in terms of affordability (ranking No. 108 out of 182 total cities studied), bringing its weighted average score down to 69.38 out of a possible 100.
Still, Orlando’s score was high enough to edge out the other foodie-friendly cities such as Portland, Oregon (which earned a score of 68.19); Sacramento (67.62); Miami (66.92); and San Francisco (66.03). Tampa, San Diego, Las Vegas, Austin and Seattle rounded out WalletHub’s top 10 “Foodie Cities” ranking.
The 10 best ‘Foodie Cities,’ according to WalletHub:
| Ranking | City | Score |
| 1 | Orlando, Florida | 69.38 |
| 2 | Portland, Oregon | 68.19 |
| 3 | Sacramento, California | 67.62 |
| 4 | Miami, Florida | 66.92 |
| 5 | San Francisco, California | 66.03 |
| 6 | Tampa, Florida | 64.84 |
| 7 | San Diego, California | 63.90 |
| 8 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 63.66 |
| 9 | Austin, Texas | 63.27 |
| 10 | Seattle, Washington | 62.17 |
Cities on the lower end of the rankings, meanwhile, generally fared poorly in all categories. Pearl City, Hawaii, ranked dead last in affordability (at No. 182) and not much better for accessibility, diversity and quality (178), giving it a weighted average score of 25.24 — and putting it at the bottom of the list.
The top ‘Foodie Cities,’ in the Carolinas according to WalletHub:
| Ranking | City | Score |
| 30 | Charleston, S.C. | 53.98 |
| 38 | Charlotte | 52.73 |
| 56 | Raleigh | 49.09 |
| 89 | Columbia, S.C. | 46.10 |
| 100 | Greensboro | 44.85 |
| 124 | Durham | 42.63 |
| 134 | Fayetteville | 41.79 |
| 157 | Winston-Salem | 39.28 |
When compiling this year’s “Foodie Cities” rankings, WalletHub sought to include metro areas in every U.S. state. The 182 ranked cities include the 150 most populous cities in the country; an additional 32 were included to ensure the list reflected at least two of the most populous municipalities in each state. (For instance, Wyoming has two entries on the list, despite not having any cities among the 150 most populous in the country.)
A full list of the entire 2023 rankings can be found at WalletHub.com.
