Gallery: 10 of America’s greenest large cities

From cleaner air and recreational opportunities to flood mitigation and a reduction in the heat island effect, there are a lot of good reasons why more American cities than ever are adding green spaces to their otherwise urban landscapes.

A new brief from WalletHub analyzes metros with the most green space, along with other health-related metrics, to rank American cities based on their promotion of a green lifestyle. 

“Clean energy and other ‘green’ practices, ssucch as recycling programs and urban agriculture, help create jobs and benefit both the environment and public health, all of qhich contribute to America’s bottom line,” reads an explainer about the findings published by WalletHub. “Recognizing these advantages, cities across the U.S. have increased their sustainability efforts and benefitted economically.”

Researchers analyzed the largest 100 cities across 28 indicators including the amount of green space. Other metrics considered included recycling programs, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, walkability, plastic bag bans, and the number of community garden plots per capita, among other things. Each of those metrics was graded under a category—environment, transportation, energy sources, and lifestyle and policy—which were then added up for a total score.

Anchorage, Alaska and Fremont, Calif. tied for the most percentage of green space, followed by Chesapeak, Va., Scottsdale, Ariz. and Irvine, Calif. Oakland, Stockton, and San Bernardino Calif., and Jersey City, N.J., Reno, Nev., and Hialeah, Fla. tied for the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita.

The complete list of 100 cities can be found on WalletHub’s website. View the gallery above for the top 10 cities.