America’s Most Creative Cities

When it comes to creativity, there are few countries in the world that can beat America for raw talent, artistic variety, and creative innovation. From photography to sculpture, we asked 1,518 Americans of all ages and backgrounds to tell us if they’re currently in, or training to be in a creative industry, what their favorite creative outlets are, and how much time they spent immersed in their hobbies and tasks. With all this data in hand, we can now reveal the top 10 most creative cities across America.

1. New York City

Unsurprisingly, the top spot on our rankings goes to New York City. A hub of creativity of all types, if you want to find people swimming in the creative industries, look no further than NYC. In fact, over 75% of the people we asked in New York said they are currently in or are training to work in a creative industry. Not only that, but out of the top 10 cities, New York has the highest number of budding novelists and musicians. It seems the city that never sleeps is never short for inspiration.

2. Louisville

Coming in at a very close second, Louisville is more famous for its Kentucky Derby than its creative endeavours. But Kentucky’s biggest city clearly has a flourishing creative side coming to the surface. Creatives in Louisville appear to have the most free time on their hands, with 54% of those asked loving nothing more than perfecting the look of their homes and playing games with their families. But it seems they’ve also a liking for photography, which makes sense when you have the Ohio river right on your doorstep.

3. Columbus

Barely beating San Diego for the third spot, if you want to experience a city dedicated to singing, acting and dancing, Columbus is the place to be. A full 28% of those we asked said that this was how they liked to spend their creative time, 2% more than those in New York City despite New York City being the home of Broadway.

4. San Diego

Not to be outdone by Columbus, San Diego is still one of the most artistic cities out there. The City in Motion sits next to Denver in the second-place spot for the most training creatives, with 72% of those asked going into this or currently being in a creative industry. While the top three spots might have more people involved in writing, performance and musical ventures, San Diego is the capital of gardening and flower arranging. Rather fitting for a city with so many picturesque locations.

5. Boston

When most people think of art, their minds are often drawn to paintings of sweeping landscapes or incredible works of ancient sculptures – and that seems truer than ever in Boston. When it comes to painting, drawing, and sculpting, Boston is the city of choice for creatives with a passion for the oldest outlets.

6. Austin

Austin might be known for its eclectic music scene, but it turns out that it’s potentially home to the largest number of graphical designers in America. 16% of those we asked said their favoured creative hobby was graphic design, beating both New York and Louisville.

7. Seattle

Many of America’s top creative cities have a broad range of artists in all categories. For Seattle, however, it seems that all the novelists and musicians got their craft on instead. While only 8% of those we asked were interested in poetry and novel writing, and just 2% in playing musical instruments, 42% of those we asked were into some form of crafting.

8. Charlotte

Despite being America’s 17^th largest city, Charlotte actually ranked lowest in our entire rankings for people training in creative industries. Just 42% of those we surveyed had an interest in an artistic career. Still, Charlotte has a burgeoning photography scene and is the best place in America to find homes decked out with the latest wall hangings.

9. San Jose

San Joes comes top of our rankings for hobbies such as photography and journaling, 35% and 24% of people dedicating their free time to them. Unfortunately, it seems creatives in San Jose have some of the most limited free time out all of America’s cities, with just 7.99 hours a week. This actually places San Jose in the 5^th lowest spot for free time, just above Houston, Dallas, Baltimore, and Oklahoma City.

10. Denver

Last but not least, Denver makes the top 10 of America’s most creative cities thanks to 72% of those asked diving straight into creative training or industries. It seems people in Denver have a lot of free time on their hands, love to upcycle furniture, and generally get involved in all the creative options out there.

But creativity isn’t just limited to the top 10 cities we’ve mentioned. All of the cities we surveyed were a budding hub of creative intellectuals. Chicago just missed out on the 10^th spot, with Nashville and LA close on its heels. So, no matter where you go in America, you’re sure to find something to get your creative juices flowing.

America’s most creative cities, revealed