(Last UPDATED 10/6/2022) Description of the WalletHub Best Foodie Cities in America list. Where does Sacramento rank on the list of 182 cities? NEW: See UPDATE below for 2022 stats!
Original Post (2019)
People love lists – and while I may not “love” lists – I frequently check them out to see if Sacramento is among those listed. More and more I find that it is!
I think that Sacramento has a great, and constantly improving, food scene – so the WalletHub 2019 Best Foodie Cities in America list caught my eye. I was also interested to note that the cities on the list have been determined to be “the best and cheapest foodie scenes”. Thirty key indicators were used to evaluate “foodie-friendliness”. These indicators included such metrics as the cost of groceries to number of food festivals per capita.
So – where did Sacramento rank on the WalletHub list of 2019 Best Foodie Cities? Out of 182 cities Sacramento ranked #12 with a total score of 57.00! Sacramento was ranked #77 for affordability and #14 for diversity, accessibility and quality.
Ranked best overall at #1 was Portland, OR with a total score of 69.79. Portland was ranked #13 for affordability and #5 for diversity, accessibility and quality.
Dead last on the list at #182 was Pearl City, HI with a total score of 22.48. Pearl City was ranked #182 for affordability and #179 for diversity, accessibility and quality.
California Cities on 2019 Best Foodie Cities in America List
As one might expect California had its fair share of cities (29) listed on the Best Foodies Cities in America list. Here they are:
Top Half
- #4 San Francisco – Total Score 67.21
- #5 Los Angeles – Total Score 66.96
- #7 San Diego – Total Score 62.54
- #12 Sacramento – Total Score 57.00
- #20 Oakland – Total Score 52.94
- #38 Santa Ana – Total Score 46.45
- #48 Fresno – Total Score 45.16
- #49 San Jose – Total Score 45.10
- #56 Long Beach – Total Score 44.34
- #60 Huntington Beach – Total Score 43.71
- #62 Bakersfield – Total Score 43.65
- #68 Anaheim – Total Score 43.02
- #83 Santa Rosa – Total Score 40.82
- #91 Irvine – Total Score 40.28
- #93 Garden Grove – Total Score 40.16
Bottom Half
- #97 Modesto – Total Score 39.64
- #104 Riverside – Total Score 39.18
- #106 Glendale – Total Score 39.10
- #121 Oceanside – Total Score 37.56
- #122 Santa Clarita – Total Score 37.48
- #131 Oxnard – Total Score 36.46
- #145 Chula Vista – Total Score 35.03
- #159 San Bernardino – Total Score 33.83
- #162 Stockton – Total Score 33.51
- #166 Rancho Cucamonga – Total Score 32.77
- #170 Ontario – Total Score 32.02
- #171 Fontana – Total Score 31.79
- #176 Fremont – Total Score 30.57
- #177 Moreno Valley – Total Score 30.36
Were you surprised that Sacramento ranked #12 on the list of 182 cities?
Sacramento is known as a very diverse city, and is often mentioned as such in the media. As a result, in addition to a firmly enshrined farm-to-fork ethos, Sacramento is also home to numerous ethnic restaurants. Plus, we have food festivals galore! So no, I am not surprised Sacramento scored so highly on the 2019 Best Foodies Cities in America list.
UPDATES
(10/6/2022) The 2022 Wallet Hub list is out, and Sacramento has retained its #6 position on the list. The #1 (first) and #182 (last) spots remain unchanged. Other California cities have moved both up and down the list. Check out the article Best Foodie Cities in America for the specifics!
(10/8/2021) The latest Wallet Hub list of Best Foodies Cities in America is out – and Sacramento has moved up from #12 to #6 on the 2021 list. Portland, OR held its #1 spot, and Pearl City, HI is once again #182.
Some of the other California cities moved up or down on the 2021 list. San Francisco held onto its #4 spot.
See related blog posts: Where Does Sacramento Rank? and Sacramento Ethnic Restaurants
Comments on the WalletHub Best Foodies Cities in America list?
What is your reaction to Sacramento’s ranking? Do you have a favorite ethnic restaurant in Sacramento?
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Hi Kathy, great job on your article on CSUS Arboretum. I think I signed up correctly to be added to your mailing list. I’m a Renn. Soc. member too. I owned a newspaper for 30 years here in Sac., Mom Guess What Newspaper. So I appreciate writing commitment !!!!
Linda Birner
lindabirner@att.net
Thanks Linda! Appreciate your comments!