Bored in the USA: The Most Boring Cities in America, Ranked

Many U.S. cities have their own culture and personality. Some may be very laid back, while others are overworked and bustling. However, some are just plain boring.

What makes a city boring? While most urban cores have their own brand of charm, some fall flatter than others when it comes to culture, nightlife, and things to do. With that in mind, the FinanceBuzz team collected data on 75 of America's biggest cities and ranked them from most to least boring.

Key findings

• Jacksonville, Florida, ranks as the most boring city in the U.S.
  • With an overall excitement score of 14.3/100, Jacksonville received the lowest rating among all cities analyzed, scoring particularly low in categories like Culinary Scene and Nightlife & Celebrations.
• Florida and Texas both have at least two cities among the 10 most boring cities: Jacksonville and Tallahassee in Florida, and Corpus Christi and San Antonio in Texas.
• Although Florida had more than one city among the most boring, two of the five most exciting cities in the country, Miami and Orlando, are also in the Sunshine State.

The categories and metrics we considered

• Population makeup: Cities brimming with excitement and energy tend to attract younger people, while cities that are more laid-back and slower-paced appeal to older Americans.
• Culinary scene: Good food makes for happy people, and cities brimming with hip, trendy, and award-winning local restaurants are more appealing to foodies than chain restaurants.
• Outdoor activities: Cities with ways for people to enjoy the outdoors afford more opportunities to take in the excitement that nature provides. In contrast, cities where green spaces and nature are choked out by urban development can be seen as bland and depressing for some.
• Nightlife and celebrations: It can feel isolating, dull, and repetitive to spend night after night at home alone, so cities that do not offer many venues or celebrations that encourage residents to go out can also feel that way. On the other hand, cities with ample communal spaces and events offer citizens plenty of opportunities to get out of the house and enjoy themselves.
• Things to do: Cities tend to have their signature events and attractions that both locals and visitors know about. In some places, the list of must-do items can be so long that it would take multiple visits to get to everything, while in other cities, people may be scraping the bottom of the barrel after a day or two.

The most boring cities in America

America's major cities all have their own identity and appeal, and even those that scored the lowest according to the data we evaluated offer plenty of unique attractions and opportunities. With that in mind, the following cities scored the lowest across the metrics for excitement we looked at.

1. Jacksonville, Florida

Encompassing nearly 875 square miles of area, Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the United States but only the 10th largest by population. This means there are large stretches of the city where population density is relatively low, naturally leading to lower instances of things like nightclubs and award-winning restaurants. In fact, 54% of all restaurants in Jacksonville are chains, tied for the fourth-highest rate in the country, while the city has the third-lowest rate of nightclubs and fourth-lowest rate of concert venues per capita of any city.

2. Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is the most populous city in Kansas, and while the population makeup of the city and the availability of outdoor recreational activities stack up fairly well with other cities, food and tourism are where Wichita falters.

Like Jacksonville, more than 50% of the restaurants here are chains, and there has been just a single James Beard Award given to a restaurant in the city in recent years. Wichita also ranks in the bottom five in the country in terms of international visitors per capita, indicating that it isn't offering much in the way of eye-catching attractions for outsiders.

3. Corpus Christi, Texas

While Wichita had at least one award-winning restaurant to its name, Corpus Christi has none, a definite negative for foodies looking for new and exciting culinary experiences. The south Texas city also offers little in the way of things to do, landing in the bottom 15 when it comes to the number of sports teams in the city and bottom 10 in terms of must-do attractions per capita.

4. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

While Sioux Falls has multiple restaurants that have been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, the city also has the highest percentage of eateries that are chain restaurants of any city in the country — 58%. Sioux Falls also has the fourth-lowest number of must-do attractions per capita in the country, and is tied for the fourth-fewest sports teams.

5. Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis has the fewest hiking trails per capita of any city in the country, and park and walkability scores that rank among the 20 lowest across the entire nation. Memphis also has the 12th-fewest number of annual events and celebrations relative to population size.

6. San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio has some truly top-tier tourist attractions, such as the Alamo and the city's famous River Walk. And while a relatively high percentage of the city's population is young adults, there aren't many places for them to get out and mingle. San Antonio ranks in the bottom 10 for every single data point relating to nightlife and celebrations: nightclubs per capita, annual celebrations and events per capita, and concert venues per capita.

7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

OKC has some of the worst parks in the country, as only one city earned a lower parks score than Oklahoma's capital. The city also suffers from a dearth of hiking trails. It has the third-lowest rate of international tourists per capita of any city, and there is a lack of original and innovative food in Oklahoma City, as more than half of all restaurants, 53%, are chains.

8. Columbus, Ohio

Home to Ohio State University, Columbus doesn't offer the student body much to do when they get off campus, despite being one of the most populated cities in the entire Midwest. In terms of amusement places and must-see attractions per capita, Columbus is among the 20 lowest-scoring cities in the country, and the city has the 14th-lowest rate of nightclubs per capita.

9. Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is a major college town thanks to Florida State University. So it makes sense that 24.7% of the population in the Sunshine State's capital is young adults (ages 20-34). That's the highest of any city in the country — a positive when it comes to excitement.

If any of those young people are interested in award-winning food, however, they are out of luck, as there are zero award-winning restaurants in Tallahassee. The city also ranks in the bottom five in the number of sports teams available to watch and is in the bottom 15 in terms of both concert venues and must-see attractions per capita.

10. Phoenix, Arizona

There are just 1.7 concert venues available for every 100,000 people in Phoenix, the third-lowest rate in the country. The city also has the sixth-lowest rate of annual celebrations and events per capita in the country.

The most exciting cities in America

While some cities can be explored fully in just a few days, other places offer so many options for things to do and see that even locals can regularly find things they've never experienced before. As a result, those kinds of cities offer more excitement that we want to highlight.

1. Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is home to the busiest airport in the country, and plenty of incoming passengers are there to enjoy all the city has to offer. ATL ranks in the top five for both nightclubs and concert venues per capita. It also ranks ninth overall when it comes to the number of amusement places and attractions per 100,000 people and ranks in the top 10 for both Michelin- and James Beard Award-winning restaurants relative to population size.

2. Miami, Florida

While Miami's nightlife scene is comparable to Atlanta's, food is an area where the city really shines. Only 35% of restaurants in the city are chains, and there are 16 restaurants that have been recognized by the Michelin guide for every 100,000 people, the fifth-highest rate of any city.

Miami also scores very highly when it comes to things to do, thanks to the robust collection of sports teams and attractions in the city, ranking behind only Las Vegas. Miami is also second in the country in terms of international tourists per capita, with more than 950,000 for every 100,000 people who live there.

3. St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is a city that comes alive at night, offering an embarrassment of riches for people looking to get out and do something. The Gateway to the West ranks second-highest in the entire country in terms of the number of nightclubs per capita. It also has the fifth-highest rate of annual celebrations and events relative to population size and the eighth-most concert venues per 100,000 people.

4. Orlando, Florida

When people think of Orlando, one thing springs to mind pretty quickly: theme parks. The city is home to Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld, in addition to a number of smaller parks and attractions.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the 49.3 amusement options per 100,000 people in Orlando are the highest in the country, and the 29.3 "must-see" attractions per capita are the second-most of any city. Those attractions haven't gone unnoticed overseas, either, as Orlando is the only city in the country that receives more than one million international visitors for every 100,000 permanent residents.

5. New York, New York

The Big Apple is home to many iconic tourist attractions, from the Statue of Liberty to Broadway to the Empire State Building and so much more. It is also one of the world's great food cities, as more than 350 restaurants in the city have been honored by the Michelin Guide and over 1,300 James Beard Awards have been given out to eateries located in New York, both of which are far and away the most of any city in America.

6. Washington, District of Columbia

The nation's capital is another city with an embarrassment of riches regarding "must-see" attractions. Millions of people visit the monuments, memorials, and museums scattered throughout the city yearly. Washington offers plenty for those who prefer nature to man-made attractions as well, as the city has the highest-rated park system in the entire country.

7. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Despite being in the Midwest, a region known for harsh winters, Minneapolis offers a ton of excitement for outdoor lovers. The city has the second-best parks in the country, only behind Washington, D.C., and the 24.5 hiking trails per 100,000 people in Minneapolis is the fifth-highest rate in the country. Minneapolis also has the second-most concert venues per capita of any city, and ranks in the top 10 in nightclubs per 100,000 people.

8. Las Vegas, Nevada

Sin City landing in the top 10 is no surprise, as the bustling Las Vegas Strip provides enough action and entertainment to last a lifetime. Between headlining entertainers, must-see shows, and the slew of casinos available to visitors and residents alike, it makes sense that Vegas scored higher than any other city in the country in the "things to do" category.

9. Salt Lake City, Utah

SLC is a city brimming with youthful energy, as just 12.1% of residents are over the age of 65 (the lowest rate of any city) while nearly double that percentage, 23.4%, are between the ages of 20 and 34 (fifth-highest in the country).

There is plenty for those young people to do as well, as Salt Lake City ranks fourth among all cities when it comes to the number of amusement places and attractions per capita and sixth in terms of concert venues per 100,000 people.

10. San Francisco, California

San Francisco is a city that takes great pride in its culinary bona fides. Just 25% of restaurants in the city are chains, tied for the lowest of any city. At the same time, the number of both Michelin and James Beard Award-winning restaurants per capita is the second highest of any city in the entire country.

San Francisco also has the highest walkability score of any city, along with top-10 rankings in terms of parks and climate quality, meaning that locals and visitors alike can follow up a good meal with a good walk around this vibrant city.

A city-by-city breakdown of America's most and least boring cities

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Methodology

FinanceBuzz collected data on 75 of America's biggest cities.

Data for five major categories related to fun and excitement were collected for each city. Those categories are population makeup, culinary scene, outdoor activities, nightlife, celebrations, and things to do. Each of those categories was created using individual data points, listed below. Each data point was indexed using a 0-5 scale. Those scores were then weighted and added together to create a score of 0-20 for each category and added together to give each city an overall score on a 0-100 scale. The lowest-scoring cities were deemed to be the most boring.

For individual data points, a weight of 1.00 is standard, with weights above 1.00 having a larger impact on a category's score and those below 1.00 having a lesser impact. The weights and sources for the individual metrics used in each category are as follows:

In all cases where population was used to create a "per capita" calculation, population data came from the United States Census Bureau.

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