2023’s Most Glamorous Cities In America
Many of us dream of a five-star lifestyle: the mansion, the Bentley, the Rolex, the country club membership — but which U.S. cities serve up ritz and glitz versus Ritz crackers and grits?
Ahead of New York Fashion Week, LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Most Glamorous Cities, comparing the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on six categories broken down into 39 glam factors. These factors include metrics like the share of million-dollar homes, access to Michelin-starred restaurants, and the number of exclusive yacht clubs.
See which 10 cities put the extra in extravagant (and which 10 are more down-to-earth) below, followed by some highlights and lowlights from our report. See where your city ranks.
Most Glamorous Cities
1. New York, NY
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Miami, FL
5. Chicago, IL
6. Las Vegas, NV
7. Houston, TX
8. Atlanta, GA
9. Dallas, TX
10. Washington, DC
Least Glamorous Cities
1. West Valley City, UT
2. Warren, MI
3. Bridgeport, CT
4. Brownsville, TX
5. Laredo, TX
6. Moreno Valley, CA
7. Cape Coral, FL
8. Columbus, GA
9. Waco, TX
10. North Las Vegas, NV
Highlights and Lowlights
The Wealth of Nations: New York, the world’s richest city, is our 2023 Glamour Capital. According to a recent report, “Total private wealth held by [New York]’s residents exceeds USD 3 trillion — higher than the total private wealth held in most major G20 countries.”
Unsurprisingly, the Big Apple aced our “Status and Wealth” test — and dominated another four of our six ranking categories. Ironically, one of the “Big Four” fashion capitals of the world could use some polishing in Beauty (No. 61).
If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It: To see or be seen, head to fourth-placer Miami, where appearance matters most. One of the settings of “The Real Housewives” topped our Beauty category and finished fourth in Fashion.
However, some of the Magic City’s flashy finishes could be a mere illusion. Miami sank to 177th place in share of upper-income households (when measuring net worth against local cost of living). Perhaps the exclusive amenities serve only those at the very top of Miami’s economic food chain.
Lackluster Lone Star Cities: Houston, Dallas, and Austin are Texas’ most well-heeled cities, but Laredo, Brownsville, and Waco are more well-booted. Only Texas had more than one city among our 10 least glamorous.
In general, there’s relatively little wealth here. Outward beauty isn’t a big priority, and exclusive cultural amenities are lacking. But there’s sparkle in these cities if you look hard enough — Waco, for one, has transformed into a shiplap-clad travel destination for fans of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ “Fixer Upper” on the Magnolia Network.
