Seattle ranked 34th best city in the world, 7th best in U.S.

Admin May 23, 2024

SEATTLE – A recent ranking of the top 100 cities in the world has Seattle making the list, sitting above many notable cities in the United States and across the globe.

The 2024 World’s Best Cities ranking looks at 270 cities in metropolitan areas with populations over one million and rates them based on three main pillars: livability, lovability, and prosperity. The list was curated by Resonance Consultancy, a Canada-based marketing group that specializes in strategy, marketing and branding projects for destinations around the world.

The rankings focus on individual metrics for each category. For example, livability is based on walkability, bikeability, landmarks, parks and recreation, museums, and higher education options. Lovability looks at each city’s culture, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, attractions and internet searches. Lastly, prosperity is determined by educational attainment, labor force participation, gross domestic product (GDP), and poverty rates.

According to the list, the top ten cities in the world include London (1), Paris (2), New York (3), Tokyo (4), Singapore (5), Dubai (6), San Francisco (7), Barcelona (8), Amsterdam (9), and Seoul (10).

Though it’s a bit of a scroll to get to Seattle, the Emerald City ranks #34, making it the seventh-best U.S. city in the report.

Seattle ranked high in several metrics, including fourth in University Ranking, #26 in Educational Attainment, and #10 in GDP per capita.

The list defines Seattle as “America’s growing tech hub,” saying the city “is playing the long game, focusing on inclusive prosperity and urban vibrancy to win the war for talent.”

Though the ranking is hindered by a burst housing bubble, homelessness crisis and 20% commercial vacancy rates, the list claims Seattle is growing by 1% annually, and will likely continue to grow with industry giants like Amazon, Starbucks, and Zillow bringing more talent into town, and heat waves in the South accelerating immigration towards cooler weather.

The Rain City also got a boost due to a 4% increase in employment for Q1 2023, powered by a top 10 global GDP per capita ranking and the University of Washington, which ranked 4th in the university subcategory for being one of the world’s top research universities.

While the constant construction projects can be a headache for locals, the ranking calls it indicative of big plans for expansion, whether it be for homegrown icons like Microsoft, or global brands like Korea’s biggest hotel chain, Lotte.

Above Seattle in the rankings is Zürich, Switzerland (33), and just below sits Sydney, Australia (35). In terms of U.S. cities, Seattle was beaten out by New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles (15), Chicago (16), Washington D.C. (17), and Boston (24).

In Resonance’s 2023 report of America’s 100 Best Cities, Seattle was one spot lower at #8, highlighted by the city’s walkability and economy, sharing a similar methodology for the 2024 ranking.

To view the full 2024 World’s Best Cities report, you can find it on Resonance’s website.