No Meat, No Problem: NYC A Haven For Vegetarians, Study Shows

NEW YORK — Good thing it's not called the Big Meatball. New York City is the nation's top haven for meatless eaters, according to a recent WalletHub ranking of the best U.S. cities for vegans and vegetarians.

The personal finance website evaluated the nation's 100 largest cities on 16 factors of friendliness to vegetarians and vegans, from the average meal cost to the per-capita numbers of salad shops and community gardens.

New York took the top spot overall on the list published Monday. Nearly 16 percent of the city's restaurants serve vegan options and about 30.3 percent serve vegetarian options, rates good enough to tie for No. 1 and nab the No. 2 spot, respectively, according to WalletHub.

The city also has more salad shops, juice and smoothie bars, and community gardens per capita than any place else in the country, the study shows.

But as is usually the case, New York is more expensive for vegans and vegetarians than most other places, WalletHub found. The city has the nation's fifth-highest average meal cost and the sixth-highest cost of groceries for vegetarians, according to the study.

Folks who don't eat animals could find similarly friendly confines in Portland, Oregon, which ranked just behind New York at No. 2. But they might want to steer clear of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was dead last on WalletHub's list.

See the full top 10 cities for vegans and vegetarians below. Check out WalletHub's full study here.

1. New York City
2. Portland, Oregon
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Seattle, Washington
5. San Francisco, California
6. Los Angeles, California
7. Austin, Texas
8. Scottsdale, Arizona
9. San Diego, California
10. Las Vegas, Nevada

(Lead image: Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch)