Study Shows This is the Rudest City in Every US State — Did Your City Make the List? (Mine Did 😳)
I’ve been to all 50 states, dealt with traffic in every major city, eaten at restaurants from coast to coast, and interacted with Americans in many urban centers.
Some cities surprised me with their kindness. Most, sadly, didn’t.
Here’s the truth about rudeness in America that nobody wants to admit: we’re not as friendly as we think we are.
A 2024 Preply study surveyed residents in 46 major cities and found that half of Americans believe their city has gotten ruder.
I’m here to tell you which city in each state takes the crown for absolute rudeness. I’ve been there. I’ve experienced it. I have the receipts.
Alabama: Birmingham
Birmingham residents score high on lack of awareness in public spaces.
Preply’s research identified lack of self-awareness as one of the top three rude behaviors Americans exhibit nationwide.
Birmingham drivers treat merging lanes like personal vendettas. Six in ten Americans report witnessing drivers ignore basic road rules, according to the Preply study.
Where to Go Instead: Gulf Shores offers beach charm without the urban attitude.
Alaska: Anchorage
Anchorage proves that cold weather doesn’t automatically make people warmer. The city combines big-city rudeness with small-town gossip.
Locals treat transplants with suspicion and disdain.
The Preply study found that older residents are more likely to think transplants are ruder than natives, creating a hostile environment for newcomers.
Where to Go Instead: Seward provides genuine Alaska hospitality along with stunning scenery.
Arizona: Phoenix
Phoenix residents perfected the art of road rage in 115°F heat.
Rude drivers prevent others from merging and drive to closed lanes to cut ahead, both behaviors highlighted in Preply’s findings.
The heat makes everyone irritable. However, irritability doesn’t excuse rudeness to service workers, one of Phoenix’s defining characteristics.
Where to Go Instead: Flagstaff residents actually smile at strangers and hold doors.
Arkansas: Little Rock
Little Rock combines Southern hospitality mythology with actual Northern rudeness. The disconnect is jarring.
Residents claim to be friendly while demonstrating consistent lack of care for others. Preply identified this as the number one rude behavior Americans exhibit in public.
Where to Go Instead: Eureka Springs maintains actual small-town friendliness.
California: Oakland
Oakland earned its spot in Preply’s top 5 rudest cities with a score of 8.87 out of 10. That’s not an opinion. That’s data.
Lack of awareness in public, loudness in shared spaces, and rudeness to service staff define the Oakland experience.
Locals admit their city ranks among the rudest according to Preply’s survey.
Where to Go Instead: San Diego scored as one of the least rude cities with actual friendly locals.
Colorado: Denver
Denver residents think they’re laid-back. They’re wrong.
The city’s rapid growth brought transplants who locals blame for increased rudeness.
However, Preply’s data shows that both natives and transplants think transplants are ruder, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Where to Go Instead: Colorado Springs offers mountain views without the attitude.
Connecticut: Hartford
Hartford delivers classic Northeastern curtness without the economic justification of New York or Boston. It’s rudeness without the benefit of being a major destination.
Residents don’t acknowledge strangers on the street. This closed-off body language was specifically measured in Preply’s rudeness rankings.
Where to Go Instead: Mystic maintains New England charm with actual charm.
Delaware: Wilmington
Wilmington combines the worst traits of nearby Philadelphia without any of Philly’s redeeming qualities.
Philadelphia ranked number two in Preply’s rudeness study with a score of 9.12 out of 10.
The attitude spills over state lines. Delaware residents absorbed Philadelphia’s rudeness through proximity and made it worse through lack of self-awareness.
Where to Go Instead: Rehoboth Beach offers Delaware’s only genuinely friendly destination.
Florida: Miami — The Rudest City in the Country
Miami topped Preply’s 2024 rudeness rankings with a score of 9.88 out of 10. That’s the highest rudeness score recorded in the entire study.
Lack of awareness in public, loudness in shared spaces, and rudeness to service staff members branded Miami as having the rudest residents.
These aren’t isolated incidents. This is the culture.
Where to Go Instead: St. Augustine provides Old Florida charm before Miami ruined everything.
Georgia: Atlanta
Atlanta traffic brings out the absolute worst in people. Drivers here make Denver motorists look competent by comparison.
The city’s rapid growth created a perfect storm of stressed locals and confused transplants.
One in four Americans think their city’s residents are the rudest in their state, and Atlanta residents overwhelmingly agree.
Where to Go Instead: Savannah maintains Southern hospitality as an actual practice, not just marketing.
Hawaii: Honolulu
Honolulu residents resent tourists while depending on tourism dollars. The cognitive dissonance manifests as passive-aggressive rudeness.
Locals don’t hide their disdain for mainlanders.
Preply’s data shows that Americans are rude even abroad, so imagine how they act in their own territory toward perceived outsiders.
Where to Go Instead: Maui’s smaller towns offer genuine aloha spirit.
Idaho: Boise
Boise exploded with California transplants who brought their rudeness along with their money.
Locals respond with their own rudeness, creating a rudeness arms race.
Nobody wins. Nearly one in four Americans have considered moving due to rude behaviors in their city, according to Preply’s findings.
Where to Go Instead: Coeur d’Alene preserves Idaho’s pre-transplant friendliness.
Illinois: Chicago
Chicago ranked number 6 in Preply’s rudeness study and actually got ruder since 2022, moving up one spot. The trajectory is concerning.
Midwestern nice doesn’t apply here. Chicagoans mistake directness for honesty and rudeness for efficiency.
Where to Go Instead: Galena offers actual Midwestern warmth in a historic setting.
Indiana: Indianapolis
Indianapolis combines Midwestern values in theory with coastal rudeness in practice. The city suffers from an identity crisis that manifests as inconsistent behavior.
Drivers here earned low marks for merging etiquette. Preply’s research identified preventing merging as a top rude driving behavior.
Where to Go Instead: Bloomington maintains college-town friendliness year-round.
Iowa: Des Moines
Des Moines bills itself as friendly however, rapid growth strained that friendliness thin. Locals aren’t adapting well.
The city’s increasing rudeness reflects a nationwide trend. Fifty percent of Americans believe their city has become ruder, according to Preply’s election-year survey.
Where to Go Instead: Iowa City preserved authentic Iowa Nice through its university influence.
Kansas: Wichita
Wichita residents exhibit Midwest friendliness selectively. You’ll get warm greetings if you look like you belong. Otherwise, expect cold shoulders.
The selective friendliness is worse than consistent rudeness. At least consistent rudeness doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not.
Where to Go Instead: Lawrence brings actual progressive friendliness to Kansas.
Kentucky: Louisville
Louisville earned the fourth-rudest city ranking from Preply with a score of 8.87.
The city also ranked at least five spots higher than it did in 2022, showing significant deterioration.
The Derby brings out the worst behavior annually. However, the rudeness persists year-round, not just during racing season.
Where to Go Instead: Lexington offers Kentucky bourbon without the Louisville attitude.
Louisiana: New Orleans
New Orleans trades on its reputation as a party city to excuse terrible behavior.
Loudness in shared spaces ranks as a top rude behavior in Preply’s research, and Bourbon Street exemplifies it.
Service workers face constant disrespect. Residents and tourists compete to see who can treat servers worse.
Where to Go Instead: Lafayette preserves Cajun culture with actual community values.
Maine: Portland
Portland attracted hipsters who brought Brooklyn’s attitude to New England.
The combination of coastal Maine standoffishness and transplant superiority creates maximum rudeness.
Closed-off body language defines Portland interactions. Preply specifically measured this as an indicator of rudeness.
Where to Go Instead: Bar Harbor maintains Maine’s authentic character.
Maryland: Baltimore
Baltimore earned its spot on rudeness lists through consistent lack of awareness in public.
The city’s problems extend beyond rudeness however, the rudeness compounds everything else.
Drivers here particularly excel at rude behavior. Preply found that six in ten Americans witness dangerous driving in their cities.
Where to Go Instead: Annapolis offers Maryland’s only genuinely welcoming major city.
Massachusetts: Boston
Boston didn’t crack Preply’s top 10 rudest cities however, it certainly tried. The city’s reputation for rudeness is well-earned through decades of practice.
Boston’s particular brand involves mistaking rudeness for authenticity. Bostonians think being rude makes them real. It just makes them rude.
Where to Go Instead: Northampton provides Massachusetts charm without Boston’s chip on its shoulder.
Michigan: Detroit
Detroit improved significantly since 2022, moving down on Preply’s rudeness rankings. However, improvement doesn’t equal friendliness.
The city still struggles with basic courtesy. Lack of care for others remains Detroit’s defining trait.
Where to Go Instead: Ann Arbor maintains Midwest friendliness through its university culture.
Minnesota: Minneapolis
Minneapolis ranked as the second-least rude city in Preply’s 2024 study. That makes it the friendliest major city in America’s heartland.
This is what actual Midwest Nice looks like. Other cities could learn.
Where to Go Instead: Minneapolis is already the best option, however, Duluth offers smaller-city charm.
Mississippi: Jackson
Jackson residents struggle with basic acknowledgment of strangers. Ignoring people on the street is rude in the South where greetings are cultural expectations.
The city lost its Southern hospitality somewhere along the way. It’s not coming back.
Where to Go Instead: Oxford preserves Mississippi’s hospitable traditions.
Missouri: St. Louis
St. Louis combines Midwest and South geographically however, delivers neither region’s friendliness. It’s the worst of both worlds.
Drivers here particularly excel at rudeness. Reckless driving and lack of awareness define St. Louis roads.
Where to Go Instead: Kansas City offers actual Midwest hospitality.
Montana: Billings
Billings residents resent population growth while benefiting from it economically. The resentment manifests as rudeness toward anyone who wasn’t born there.
Transplant hostility is real. Preply’s data confirms older residents particularly blame newcomers for increasing rudeness.
Where to Go Instead: Missoula welcomes newcomers with genuine Montana friendliness.
Nebraska: Omaha
Omaha topped Preply’s list as the least rude city in America. The city scored lowest on rudeness metrics across the board.
This is what friendly actually looks like. Omaha proves American cities can maintain courtesy even as they grow.
Where to Go Instead: Omaha is already the answer, however, Lincoln offers similar Midwest values.
Nevada: Las Vegas
Las Vegas sells vice and delivers rudeness as a bonus. Service workers face constant disrespect from tourists and locals alike.
Preply identified rudeness to service staff as a top behavior. Vegas exemplifies it. Casino culture encourages treating workers as servants.
Where to Go Instead: Reno offers Nevada’s only city where people treat each other decently.
New Hampshire: Manchester
Manchester combines New England reserve with transplant influx poorly.
The result is a city where nobody wants to be bothered however, everyone complains about being ignored.
Closed-off body language and lack of acknowledgment define Manchester interactions. Both measured as rudeness indicators in Preply’s research.
Where to Go Instead: Portsmouth maintains New England charm with actual friendliness.
New Jersey: Newark
Newark exists in Philadelphia’s rudeness shadow. Philly ranked second-rudest in Preply’s study, and Newark absorbed the attitude through proximity.
The rudeness here combines urban hostility with suburban dismissiveness. Nobody wins.
Where to Go Instead: Cape May offers Jersey Shore hospitality before the reality show ruined everything.
New Mexico: Albuquerque
Albuquerque has no sense of community. Residents are selfish and careless according to local accounts reviewed in rudeness studies.
Building connections is needlessly difficult here. The city had potential however, poor educational rankings manifest in poor social behavior.
Where to Go Instead: Santa Fe maintains New Mexico culture with actual community values.
New York: New York City
New York City didn’t crack Preply’s top 10 rudest cities. That shocked me.
The city has such a reputation for rudeness that residents take pride in it. However, other cities apparently surpassed NYC’s rudeness levels in recent years.
Where to Go Instead: Buffalo offers New York hospitality without the attitude.
North Carolina: Charlotte
Charlotte ranked at least five spots higher on rudeness lists since 2022 according to Preply’s comparative analysis. The city is getting significantly ruder.
Banking money apparently doesn’t buy manners. Charlotte’s finance-bro culture encourages rudeness as success signaling.
Where to Go Instead: Asheville preserves North Carolina friendliness despite tourist crowds.
North Dakota: Fargo
Fargo residents think they’re friendly because they’re polite to people they know. Strangers get indifference at best.
The selective friendliness creates a two-tier system. You’re either in or you’re out.
Where to Go Instead: Bismarck offers slightly better odds of friendly interactions.
Ohio: Columbus
Columbus ranked among the least rude cities in Preply’s study. The city maintained Midwest values better than most.
This is one of Ohio’s few bright spots. Take it.
Where to Go Instead: Columbus is already decent, however, Cincinnati offers similar friendliness.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City residents talk about Southern hospitality. They don’t practice it.
The disconnect between reputation and reality defines OKC. Locals think they’re friendly while consistently demonstrating otherwise.
Where to Go Instead: Tulsa preserves Oklahoma’s better angels.
Oregon: Portland
Portland residents perfected performative politeness while being actually rude. They’ll apologize for bumping into you while cutting in line.
The passive-aggressive rudeness is worse than honest rudeness. At least honest rudeness doesn’t pretend.
Where to Go Instead: Eugene maintains Oregon friendliness without Portland’s smugness.
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia
Philadelphia earned second place in Preply’s 2024 rudeness rankings with a score of 9.12 out of 10. The City of Brotherly Love is anything however, loving.
Philly was the rudest city in 2022. Dropping to number two isn’t improvement. It’s just losing first place while remaining terrible.
Where to Go Instead: Pittsburgh offers Pennsylvania’s only major city with genuine friendliness.
Rhode Island: Providence
Providence combines Boston’s rudeness with smaller-city pettiness. It’s rudeness at more personal scale.
The city’s size makes the rudeness feel more targeted. In bigger cities, rudeness is impersonal. In Providence, it’s deliberate.
Where to Go Instead: Newport maintains Rhode Island elegance with better manners.
South Carolina: Charleston
Charleston trades on its reputation for Southern charm while consistently failing to deliver.
Tourists get hospitality. Locals get judgment. While beautiful, it’s has absolutly earned its spot on our Rudest City in Every US State List.
The performative friendliness for tourists while treating locals poorly demonstrates the worst kind of rudeness. It’s calculated rather than ignorant.
Where to Go Instead: Greenville offers South Carolina hospitality without the tourism tax.
South Dakota: Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls residents mistake bluntness for honesty and coldness for independence. Neither is true.
The city’s rudeness stems from insecurity about being overlooked. Instead of becoming friendlier to attract people, residents double down on standoffishness.
Where to Go Instead: Rapid City’s tourism economy forces better behavior.
Tennessee: Nashville
Nashville’s explosive growth brought rudeness that locals blame on transplants.
However, Preply’s data shows both natives and transplants agree transplants are ruder.
The finger-pointing doesn’t solve the problem. Nashville is rude regardless of who’s responsible.
Where to Go Instead: Chattanooga maintains Tennessee friendliness despite tourism.
Texas: Austin
Austin ranked at least five spots higher on rudeness lists since 2022 according to Preply’s data.
The city’s “Keep Austin Weird” slogan apparently meant “Keep Austin Rude.”
Tech money and California transplants created a rudeness perfect storm. Austin lost whatever made it special and replaced it with Bay Area attitude.
Where to Go Instead: San Antonio preserves Texas hospitality with authentic charm.
Utah: Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City residents are friendly to other Mormons. Everyone else gets polite dismissal.
The religious divide creates two-tier treatment. Outsiders feel it immediately.
Where to Go Instead: Park City’s resort economy forces better inclusive behavior.
Vermont: Burlington
Burlington attracted liberal transplants who brought coastal rudeness to rural Vermont. Locals resent the invasion while accepting the money.
Nobody’s happy. Nearly one in four Americans considered moving due to rudeness in their city according to Preply’s findings.
Where to Go Instead: Stowe maintains Vermont charm without Burlington’s identity crisis.
Virginia: Richmond
Richmond can’t decide if it’s Southern or Northern. The identity crisis manifests as inconsistent behavior ranging from charming to hostile.
The inconsistency is worse than consistent rudeness. You never know what you’re getting.
Where to Go Instead: Charlottesville offers Virginia’s best attempt at consistent friendliness.
Washington: Seattle
Seattle perfected the “Seattle Freeze” where residents seem friendly however, never follow through.
Preply’s research identified closed-off body language as a rudeness indicator.
The passive nature of Seattle rudeness doesn’t make it less rude. It’s just harder to call out.
Where to Go Instead: Spokane delivers actual Pacific Northwest friendliness.
West Virginia: Charleston
Charleston residents exhibit Appalachian hospitality selectively. Locals get warm treatment. Outsiders get suspicion.
The selective friendliness creates an unwelcoming environment for anyone new. It’s not hostile. It’s just cold.
Where to Go Instead: Morgantown’s university population forces more inclusive behavior.
Wisconsin: Milwaukee
Milwaukee improved on rudeness rankings since 2022 according to Preply’s analysis. However, improvement doesn’t equal friendliness.
The city still struggles with basic courtesy. Drivers particularly excel at rude behavior.
Where to Go Instead: Madison maintains Wisconsin friendliness through its university culture.
Wyoming: Cheyenne
Cheyenne residents treat anyone from out of state as temporary invaders.
The hostility toward tourists funds their economy however, that doesn’t stop the resentment.
Wyoming’s sparse population should make people friendlier through scarcity. Instead, it makes them territorial.
Where to Go Instead: Jackson Hole’s resort economy forces better behavior toward visitors.
The Reality About the Rudest City in Every US State
I’ve been to all 50 states. I’ve experienced rudeness in every single one.
America isn’t as friendly as Americans think we are. Preply’s research confirms what travelers already know: rudeness is getting worse nationwide.
Three in four Americans think people in cities are ruder than those in rural areas. They’re right. Urban density breeds inconsiderate behavior.
The data doesn’t lie. Miami leads with a 9.88 rudeness score. Philadelphia follows at 9.12. Tampa, Louisville, and Oakland round out the top five.
However, even the “friendliest” cities like Omaha and Minneapolis still have rudeness problems. They’re just less terrible than everywhere else.
This is America in 2025. We’re rude, we’re getting ruder, and half of us think politics made it worse.
Welcome to the land of the free and the home of the hostile.