Ask ten people which American city has the rudest residents, and you’ll probably get ten different answers rooted in bad personal experiences rather than data. That’s exactly why several recent surveys tried to settle the debate with actual numbers, polling thousands of residents about real behaviors like phone habits, tipping, and how people treat service workers. The results reveal some clear patterns, and a few surprises, about where good manners thrive and where they seem to have quietly left the building.
1. Miami, Florida
Miami has claimed the title of America’s rudest city in more than one recent study, and the numbers back up the reputation. Miami earned the dubious distinction as America’s rudest city in 2025, scoring an unprecedented 9.88 out of 10 on the rudeness scale.[1] A separate survey found similar results, with Miami ranking as the rudest city overall with a rudeness score of 99.29 out of 100.[2]
Residents themselves aren’t shy about the assessment either. When asked to rank residents on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 representing extremely rude, Miami received the highest average rating of 6.55.[2] Researchers pointed to a mix of factors driving the trend, noting that residents cited prevalent self-centered behaviors, disregard for shared spaces, and significant rudeness toward service workers, with the city’s unique blend of tourism, transient populations, and fast-paced culture appearing to create an environment where consideration for others diminishes.[1]
2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia shows up near the top of nearly every rudeness ranking, and it’s not a fluke of one bad survey year. Philadelphia follows closely behind Miami, scoring 9.12 on the rudeness scale in one 2025 analysis.[1] Another study using a different methodology still placed the city firmly in third, with Philadelphia ranking third with a rudeness score of 89.93 out of 100, with residents reporting frequently encountering several common rude behaviors.[2]
Interestingly, the city’s own residents don’t sugarcoat things either. The rudest U.S. cities include Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Memphis, Tennessee, and New York City, New York, according to their own residents.[3] One bright spot worth mentioning: despite the citywide reputation, some rankings suggest Philadelphia has actually improved slightly compared to years when it topped the list outright.
3. Tampa, Florida
Florida shows up twice on this list, and Tampa is the second entry. Tampa rounds out the top three rudest cities in 2025, scoring 8.88 on the rudeness scale.[1] An earlier study using a similarly structured survey found the same city near the top, confirming that Tampa took the No. 3 spot in a Preply ranking that also included Philadelphia, Louisville, and Oakland in the top five.[4]
The consistency across different survey years suggests this isn’t just a one-time statistical blip. Florida’s rapid population growth over the past several years, driven by heavy migration from states like New York and California, may be part of the story, as longtime residents and newcomers adjust to a rapidly changing social landscape in cities that weren’t built for this pace of growth.
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas earns its rude reputation through a combination of traffic stress and tourist fatigue. One survey found that Las Vegas hit the number four rank on the list of America’s rudest cities, scoring a 5.98.[5] A different, more recent study bumped it up even higher, noting that Las Vegas came in second with a rudeness score of 97.77 out of 100, with residents also the most likely to feel locals in their city are the rudest in the state, with 62% saying so.[2]
Part of the issue seems tied to the working conditions in a city built entirely around hospitality. While the neon lights and massive hotels look exciting, the people working behind the scenes are often stressed out by the nonstop crowds, leading to short and sometimes snappy interactions.[5] With millions of tourists cycling through constantly, genuine conversations can feel more like transactions than actual connections.
5. Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is a name that surprises people when it shows up on rudeness rankings, given Kentucky’s broader reputation for Southern hospitality. Yet it’s been a repeat entry, with one widely cited study confirming that the top five rudest cities in America are Miami, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tampa, Florida, Louisville, Kentucky, and Oakland, California.[6]
Researchers behind these studies point to specific behaviors driving the perception rather than a single cause. Social behaviors that contributed to the ranking included lack of awareness in public, loudness in shared places, and rudeness to service staff.[6] Louisville’s mix of a growing bourbon tourism economy and denser urban pockets may be amplifying friction that wouldn’t otherwise register in a smaller town.
6. Oakland, California
Oakland rounds out the list of consistently rude-ranked cities, often appearing right alongside its more famous neighbor across the bay. The same major survey that flagged Miami, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Louisville also placed Oakland, California in the top five rudest cities in the country.[4]
Unlike some cities on this list, Oakland’s reputation seems less tied to tourism friction and more to broader urban stress factors like cost of living pressure and rapid demographic shifts. The behaviors driving these rankings tend to be the same everywhere: phone distraction in shared spaces, curt treatment of service workers, and a general sense that people are too busy or too stressed to slow down for strangers.
7. Austin, Texas
On the flip side of the ledger, Austin has emerged as the most consistently friendly big city in America according to recent survey data. Austin was ranked the number one friendliest city in the United States by the Preply survey conducted in March 2025, with a 7.45 rating for friendliness.[7] That’s a notably high score compared to the rudeness figures posted by cities like Miami or Las Vegas.
The friendliness extends beyond just human interactions too. Austin isn’t just friendly for people, as a slew of survey respondents rated it the top city for pet-friendliness, and it ranked in the top five for child-friendliness as well.[7] A booming population of newcomers drawn by the tech industry and live music scene hasn’t dented the welcoming vibe, at least according to the data.
8. Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte lands in the number two spot for friendliness nationally, according to the same major survey. Austin, Charlotte, and Columbus top the charts for the friendliest cities in America.[8] That puts Charlotte in rare company as one of the very few cities to show up near the top of friendliness rankings year after year.
Southern hospitality plays an obvious role here, and it shows up in small daily gestures rather than grand ones. Holding the door open, holding the elevator, and offering directions are among the most common friendly actions reported by residents nationwide.[8] Charlotte’s rapid growth as a banking and business hub hasn’t seemed to erode that instinct toward common courtesy, which is notable given how quickly the city’s population has expanded in recent years.
9. Columbus, Ohio
Columbus rounds out the top three friendliest cities in the country, a somewhat under-the-radar result given how much attention Southern cities typically get for hospitality. Austin, Charlotte, and Columbus top the charts for the friendliest cities in America,[8] proving that Midwestern warmth deserves just as much credit as Southern charm.
Columbus benefits from a mix of college town energy and Midwestern practicality, a combination that seems to translate into genuine neighborliness. The city has grown substantially over the past decade thanks to tech and logistics investment, yet it hasn’t developed the same reputation for stressed-out impatience that shows up in faster-growing coastal cities.
10. San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio consistently ranks among the top five friendliest cities in America, according to survey data collected from residents themselves. The friendliest cities in America, according to a survey of residents, include Austin, Charlotte, Columbus, San Antonio, and El Paso, cities recognized for their welcoming communities and vibrant local cultures.[8]
San Antonio’s deep cultural roots, blending Texan and Mexican traditions, seem to translate directly into how residents treat visitors and neighbors alike. The city’s tourism economy, built heavily around historic sites and river walk culture, depends on that hospitality reputation staying intact, and so far the survey numbers suggest it has.
11. El Paso, Texas
El Paso stands out even among a list of already-friendly cities, earning some of the strongest individual category scores in recent surveys. El Paso ranked as one of the top five friendliest cities in the US in the March 2025 Preply survey, but it ranked number one for friendliest city to strangers and number one for friendliest city to children.[7]
The city’s border location, blending American Southwest culture with Mexican influences, seems to be a genuine asset rather than a source of friction. Home to more than 680,000 residents, this border city is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, blending American Southwest influences with those of Mexico.[9] That cultural mix appears to be a driver of hospitality rather than division, based on the survey data.
12. San Diego, California
San Diego closes out this list as the friendliest city on the entire West Coast, a notable distinction given how many California cities lean toward the opposite reputation. San Diego is the sixth-friendliest city in the U.S., and it’s also the friendliest place on the West Coast.[9]
Small, specific behaviors help back up the ranking rather than vague impressions. According to the survey, residents of San Diego are particularly known for offering to take photos for strangers.[9] That kind of small, unprompted courtesy, offering to help a stranger capture a memory, is exactly the sort of behavior that tends to separate the cities on this list from the ones ranked rudest.
Rudeness and friendliness rankings shift a bit year to year depending on methodology, but the same names tend to resurface across multiple independent surveys, which lends some real weight to the patterns. Miami, Philadelphia, and Tampa keep showing up near the bottom of politeness rankings, while Austin, Charlotte, and their fellow entries keep showing up near the top. Whether that reflects something deep about regional culture or simply the stress of rapid population growth, the data suggests these reputations aren’t going away anytime soon.
