Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

New York Rightfully Takes Over Top Spot on Walk Score

New York's least walkable areas are in Staten Island and Eastern Queens, according to updated Walk Score data.

Step aside, San Francisco!

Walk Score, the website that ranks locations, neighborhoods and cities based on the number of amenities within walking distance and the pedestrian-friendliness of the street network, has come out with its first new city rankings since 2008. Based on updated listings and new Census data, New York City has taken over the top spot from the former West Coast champ.

The gap between the top two cities is slight, however, only 0.4 points out of 100. So Walk Score is opening the question of who's the most walkable up to the public. San Francisco is currently winning in the online balloting. We here at Streetsblog New York are unwilling to let that stand, however. Here's why:

First, while Walk Score's methodology is impressively constructed, the ultimate measure of walkability is the amount of walking. According to the Census, slightly more New Yorkers walked to work between 2005 and 2009 than San Franciscans. Far more rode transit, which usually includes a walk on either end of the trip.

Another metric that isn't included in Walk Score's calculations is pedestrian safety. New York City has a lower traffic fatality rate than San Francisco [PDF], with pedestrians representing a roughly equivalent share of fatalities in each city.

Finally, all the walkability in San Francisco just doesn't add up to that much compared to New York City. The entire city has a population of 805,000. The population of Manhattan alone is roughly double that, and there's not a single neighborhood on the island that doesn't have a Walk Score high above San Francisco's. Sure, Staten Island drags down New York's walkability, but according to Wikipedia, it's nine times more densely populated than San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco.

There's a lot New York City should do to make it more walkable. But compared to any other big American city, it's not even close.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

July 11, 2025

Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: Cyclists, Check Out Your Next City

Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited London earlier this summer to check in on the Big Smoke's cycling revolution.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

We've got one more workday before we can hit the beach. Plus the news.

July 11, 2025

Council To Close Instacart Loophole, Pass Delivery Industry Regulation Bills

The City Council will vote on Monday the "Instacart loophole" and force all app companies to pay workers a minimum wage.

July 10, 2025

‘Blood On His Hands’: Cyclists Slam Eric Adams After Judge Lets Him Remove Brooklyn Bike Lane

Mayor Adams will have “blood on his hands” for his decision to rip up three blocks of the popular protected bike lane.

July 10, 2025
See all posts