In this article, we will look at the 25 Most Hipster Cities in the US. We will also analyze the global streetwear market and the fashion trends for 2024.
An Analysis of the Global Streetwear Market
New fashion trends are one of the key growth contributors to the global apparel industry. According to a report by the Business Research Company, the global apparel market was valued at $656 billion in 2023. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.9% during the forecasted period to reach $919 billion by 2028. In addition, an increase in demand for fashionable apparel products, strong economic growth, an increase in disposable income, and technological advancements in the industry are factors contributing to growth in the market.
The hipster culture is categorized as people who follow the latest fashion trends in clothing and lifestyle. A greater focus of hipster culture is to create new fashion trends outside the mainstream culture. Hipster fashion is closely related to the streetwear industry, a market that came into existence backed by consumer demand for something new and fashionable each day. According to a report by Business Research Insights, the global streetwear market was valued at $188 billion in 2022. The market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 3.52% to reach $231 billion by 2028. The introduction of genderless clothing, the high adoption of Western culture around the globe, and economic growth in the world are factors contributing to growth in the industry. If you want to read more about clothing brands you can check out the Top 11 Luxury Clothing Stocks to Invest in Now and the 22 Largest Clothing Companies by Market Cap in the World.
Sustainable Style: Fashion Trends for 2024
The fashion industry has shown resilience during the past few years. According to the State of Fashion Report 2024 published by McKinsey & Company the fashion industry made a strong economic recovery in 2021 experiencing an increase of 371% in year-on-year profit change. The economic performance was maintained in 2022 as well and the profits only dropped slightly by 6% during the year.
Within the fashion industry, the luxury segment outperformed and posted a 36% rise in profits in 2022. The market faced a series of challenges in 2023, including weaker demand, slow growth in the United States and Europe, and China’s strong performance fading away as compared to the past years. Moving forward to 2024, the global fashion industry is forecasted to grow between 2% to 4%, with variants in regional growth rates. The luxury segment of the market is again expected to take the largest share and is forecasted to grow between 3% to 5% during the year.
Looking ahead to 2024, the market trends are changing. Climate resilience is one of the key fashion trends for the year. The fashion industry is responsible for approximately 3% to 8% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the world. Moreover, due to the extreme weather conditions fashion exports worth $65 billion are at risk of jeopardy by 2030 and could potentially lead to the loss of nearly one million jobs around the globe. Industry-wide initiatives are crucial to build sustainable supply chains. According to McKinsey & Company, 12% of the companies in the fashion industry state sustainability as one of the principal opportunities for 2024. To read more about the fashion industry you can look at the 25 Richest Billionaires in Fashion and Retail Industry and 12 Countries That Produce the Best Fashion Designers in the World.
Major Thrift Store Companies
Thrift stores are one of the go-to places for hipsters as these places allow hipsters to find vintage clothing, furniture, and other unconventional fashion items. Some of the leading thrift stores include Savers Value Village, Inc. (NYSE:SVV) and The RealReal, Inc. (NASDAQ:REAL).
Savers Value Village, Inc. (NYSE:SVV) is a renowned thrift store company based in Washington. The company operates through its retail stores across the US, Canada, and Australia. On May 6, Savers Value Village, Inc. (NYSE:SVV) announced the acquisition of 2 Peaches Group, LLC. 2 Peaches Group, LLC is a thrift store chain that operates in seven key locations including Atlanta, and Georgia. The acquisition will allow Savers Value Village, Inc. (NYSE:SVV) to strategically enter the southeast region of the US. Here are a few comments from Savers Value Village, Inc’s. (NYSE:SVV) Q1 2024 earnings call:
“Giving our existing established presence in Canada, where we already are considerably more penetrated and where thrift is already more widely adopted, the macro pressures it tended to be more impactful to our results. In the US, consumers also remain cautious with their discretionary dollars, but thrift exploration and acceptance continues to grow. As we have referenced, 85% of consumers have interacted with breadth as a shopper or donor and one and five indicate they will increase their spend over the coming years. While we are facing some macro headwinds in Canada, we continue to invest to drive accelerated unit growth and sales. As you will recall, we opened 12 stores in 2023 and are pleased to report that we are on track to reach our 22 store opening target this year in 2024 with 21 leases already signed.”
RealReal, Inc. (NASDAQ:REAL) is one of the world’s largest online marketplaces for resale and purchase of luxury goods including fashion products for men and women, jewelry, and watches. The RealReal, Inc. (NASDAQ:REAL) is based in California and operates mainly through its online marketplace and retail stores. On April 22, The RealReal, Inc. (NASDAQ:REAL) announced its in-store drive to support the Conservation International. Conservation International is a non-profit partner of The RealReal, Inc. (NASDAQ:REAL) which is dedicated to the cause of promoting sustainability and conserving nature. Under this initiative, customers would be able to donate their commission to benefit Conversation International. Here are some comments from RealReal, Inc’s. (NASDAQ:REAL) Q1 2024 earnings call:
“We see opportunities to invest in automation and AI, as we leverage our data to improve client experience and to work profitably – and to profitably scale the business. We project that we are on track to deliver positive adjusted EBITDA, for the full year 2024. Today, we provided Q2, 2024, guidance and updated our full year guidance, with an increase in the midpoint of our full year adjusted EBITDA range. We believe our continued focus on the core consignment business is working. We are growing our consignment revenue, expanding margins delivering exceptional experiences to our consignors, and providing outstanding luxury goods to our buyers. I am very excited about the momentum in our business and believe we will continue to capitalize on our position as a leader in luxury presale.”
With this context let’s look at the 25 most hipster cities in the US.
Tupungato / Shutterstock.com
Our Methodology
To curate the list of the 25 most hipster cities in the US, we conducted a sentiment analysis on Reddit. First, we aggregated the list of 40 most hipster cities in the US by sifting through 5 online rankings. Once we had an aggregated list, we turned to Reddit to find 5 high-engagement threads that asked people about the most hipster cities in the US. We selected threads that had at least 100 comments. We analyzed and read all the comments and summed the upvotes for each hipster city on our list. In the end, we shortlisted the cities that had at least 150 upvotes. The list is ranked in ascending order of the total upvotes on Reddit.
Note: This list is not exhaustive and does not reflect our opinion. The ranking is solely based on the opinions of Reddit users. Moreover, we have also cited population figures for each city sourced from the United States Census Bureau.
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25 Most Hipster Cities in the US
25. Vancouver, Washington
Upvotes: 161
Vancouver is a city in Washington State that ranks 25th on our list of most hipster cities in the US. It is situated on the north bank of the Columbia River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 196,442 in 2023. Moreover, the city has a young population with approximately 21.5% of the population being under 18 years of age. It is one of the most fashionable cities in the US.
24. Rochester, New York
Upvotes: 162
Rochester is situated on Lake Ontario in New York State of the United States. The city ranks 24th on our list of most hipster cities in the US. According to the United States Census Bureau, Rochester had a population of 207,274 in 2023. Rochester is a culturally diverse city, with approximately 37.9% African American, 3.5% Asian, and 43.2% white American population.
23. Santa Rosa, California
Upvotes: 163
Santa Rosa is a city in Sonoma County California. Santa Rosa ranks as the 23rd most hipster city in the US. The city has a population of approximately 175,845 in 2023. Moreover, approximately 20.5% of the total population is aged 18 or younger representing a young population. The city is renowned for its thrift stores and vintage fashion.
22. Tucson, Arizona
Upvotes: 166
Tucson ranks as the 22nd most hipster city in the US. It is situated in Pima County Arizona State. Tucson is a fashionable city and has received 166 upvotes on Reddit for being the most hipster city in the country.
21. Las Vegas, Nevada
Upvotes: 168
Las Vegas is one of the most populous cities in the United States. It is situated in the state of Nevada. The City had a population of 660,929 in 2023 and ranks 21st on our list of most hipster cities in the US with 168 Reddit upvotes.
20. Madison, New Jersey
Upvotes: 170
Madison is the capital city of Wisconsin state. The city ranks as the 20th most hipster city in the US with 170 Reddit upvotes.
19. Jersey City, New Jersey
Upvotes: 171
Jersey City is situated on the Northeastern side of the state of New Jersey. The city had a population of approximately 291,657 in 2023. It ranks as the 19th most hipster city in the US with 171 upvotes on Reddit.
18. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Upvotes: 177
Albuquerque is one of the largest cities in New Mexico, the city is renowned for its antique stores and shops selling Native American artifacts. The city had a population of 560,274 in 2023 and ranks as the 18th most hipster city in the US.
17. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Upvotes: 179
Grand Rapids is situated on the Grand River in the state of Michigan. The city is renowned for its art museums and artists. It ranks 17th on our list of the 25 most hipster cities in the US with 179 Reddit upvotes.
16. Reno, Nevada
Upvotes: 183
Reno is a small city in the State of Nevada that ranks as the 16th most hipster city in the US. The city is a tourist attraction for its museums, zoos, and art galleries. It is also one of the hubs for hotels and casinos due to its strong tourism base. The city scores 183 Reddit upvotes.
15. Tampa, Florida
Upvotes: 200
Tampa is one of the biggest centers in Florida. The city is a hub of Cuban culture and has an alluring nightlife due to its waterfront. The city ranks 15th on our list of most hipster cities in the US.
14. Atlanta, Georgia
Upvotes: 260
Atlanta is the capital city of the state of Georgia. The city has huge commercial shopping areas, a diverse culture, and is renowned for its thrift stores. It ranks as the 14th most hipster city in the US.
13. San Francisco, California
Upvotes: 274
San Francisco is situated in the state of California and is officially the commercial, cultural, and financial center of the state. The city had a population of approximately 808,988 in 2023 and ranks 13th on our list of most hipster cities in the US, with 274 Reddit upvotes.
12. Cincinnati, Ohio
Upvotes: 275
Cincinnati is situated in the state of Ohio and ranks as the 12th most hipster city in the US. The city is renowned for its food, craft vendors, tattoo parlors, and microbreweries. Cincinnati has scored 275 Reddit upvotes and had a population of approximately 311,097 in 2023.
11. Seattle, Washington
Upvotes: 354
Seattle is one of the largest cities in the Washington State of the US. It is home to some of the greatest Tech Companies in the world including Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). The city ranks as the 11th most hipster city in the US.
10. Richmond, Virginia
Upvotes: 369
Richmond is the capital city of the State of Virginia and is one of the oldest major cities in the US. The city is home to a mix of urban lifestyle and natural beauty. It ranks as the 10th most hipster city in the US with 369 Reddit upvotes.
9. Salt Lake City, Utah
Upvotes: 438
Salt Lake City is the capital city of the State of Utah. The city has emerged as one of the progressive cities to break stereotypes and adapt to new cultures. It is also recognized as one of the cities with a growing population of LGBTQ people. The city ranks as the 9th most hipster city in the US.
8. Boise, Idaho
Upvotes: 441
Boise is the capital city of Idaho and ranks 8th on our list of 25 most hipster cities in the US. The city is home to several tattoo parlors and thrift stores, and scores 441 upvotes on Reddit.
7. Denver, Colorado
Upvotes: 473
Denver ranks as the 7th most hipster city in the US. It is the capital city of Colorado. The city is known for its museums and art galleries. The city had a population of approximately 716,577 in 2023.
6. Buffalo, New York
Upvotes: 660
Buffalo is a city in New York that ranks as the 6th most hipster city in the US. The city had a population of approximately 274,678 in 2023. Buffalo City has many museums and art collections, along with famous thrift stores that make it an attraction for hipster culture.
5. Cleveland, Ohio
Upvotes: 700
Cleveland is situated in the US state of Ohio along the shore of Lake Erie. Cleveland ranks as the 5th most hipster city in the US with 700 upvotes on Reddit and had a population of 362,656 in 2023.