In this article, we are going to discuss the 5 most liberal cities in the U.S. If you want to check out our detailed analysis of the history of liberalism, the polarization between liberal and conservative communities, the most liberal state in America, the most liberal city in the world, the most progressive American companies and the global D&I market, head to 25 Most Liberal Cities in the U.S.
5. Seattle, Washington
Insider Monkey Score: 2.86
For decades, Seattle has been one of the most liberal cities in the country and right at the forefront of the nation’s progressive movement. It was the first major city to adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage, to allow gig economy workers to affiliate with a union and to allow, albeit briefly, a per-employee tax on major corporations.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community is the second-largest in the United States, with 12.9% of the city identifying as LGTBQ. The city also had a per capita general expenditure of $3,265 in 2020.
4. Washington D.C.
Insider Monkey Score: 3.35
Washington D.C. has always been a liberal stronghold, with 95% of voters voting for the democratic candidate in every election. D.C. has voted Democrat for president every year since it gained the right to do so, and its city government would be overwhelmingly progressive if it were a normal city. Another reason for Washington D.C. being so liberal is because it is politically isolated from its suburbs, which are considered to be in Virginia and Maryland.
The district is also a majority-minority region, meaning that its largest group is less than 50% of the population, and Washington D.C. also has a foreign-born population of 13.5%. The city also had the highest per capita general expenditure in America in 2020, at $22,508.
3. Boston, Massachusetts
Insider Monkey Score: 3.41
Situated in the most liberal state in America, Boston served as a farm team for gay-rights forces across the U.S., thanks, in part, to the Gay Community News, an influential weekly newspaper with national reach that was considered the movement’s ‘paper of record’ throughout the 1970’s. The city is also home to the country’s first openly gay state representative, Elaine Nobel.
Over the last four decades, Boston has become a much more racially and ethnically diverse place. In the 1970’s, close to 70% of the city’s population was white, and today, this number has slimmed down to 44%. The home of the iconic Red Sox also had a per capita general expenditure of $5,782 in 2020.
2. New York City, New York
Insider Monkey Score: 3.55
The Big Apple is not only among the most liberal cities in the U.S. in 2023, but also one of the most liberal cities in the world. The Stonewall Riots are considered by many as the final spark that initiated an organized gay rights movement in America. A police raid on a mafia-owned gay bar on June 28th 1969 sparked three nights of riots, and with them, the global gay rights movement. On June 28th 1970, the first Pride marches were held in NYC, Los Angeles and Chicago to commemorate the events of Stonewall and the parades have become a global annual tradition since then.
In April, the New York state senate easily confirmed Governor Kathy Hochul’s nominee to lead the state’s highest court, elevating a judge favored by the state’s liberal lawmakers.
1. San Francisco, California
Insider Monkey Score: 3.85
San Francisco is the center of the progressive liberal ethos and is the most liberal city in America in our list. The Golden Gate City, with its incredible arts and culture, great job market, and wide range of outdoor recreation, is also the best liberal city to live in for young professionals.
San Francisco, California’s capital of quirk and one of the Gayest Cities in the World, holds one of the oldest and biggest Pride parades globally and hosts the largest LGBTQ community in the United States. The city also boasted a per capita general expenditure of $14,347 in 2020, the second-highest in the country.
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