Study ranks best U.S. sports cities, 1 Seattle team cracks top 3

A recent WalletHub study ranked the best sports cities in the U.S. based on the five largest sports industries: football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey.

The long-running debate about Seattle’s best sport is over, as new rankings reveal where each team stands.

Where does Seattle rank as the best sports city in the U.S.?

Across 63 other large U.S. cities, Seattle ranked outside of the top 10 at No. 13. Other notable West Coast cities include Los Angeles (2), San Francisco (7), San Diego (35), and Portland (43).

The No. 1 U.S. city across all five major sports was Boston, MA, which placed first in hockey and second in basketball, making key contributions to the city’s overall ranking.

Football:

The Seattle Seahawks are among the best teams in the NFL with a 7-2 record nearly halfway through its season. Since 2012, the Seahawks have had one losing season (2021) with several playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title, but where does the team rank?

Seattle was ranked as the 16th-best football city in the nation, behind other notable leaders in No. 1 Pittsburgh, No. 3 Green Bay, No. 6 New York, and No. 7 San Francisco.

Baseball:

The Seattle Mariners are coming off the best season in franchise history, as the team slugged through the playoffs and fell one game short of the franchise’s first World Series appearance.

Despite the Mariners’ success in recent years, Seattle as a baseball city was ranked as No. 18 in the country, behind division foes No. 9-ranked Athletics, No. 13 Houston, and No. 17 Arlington.

The top three baseball cities in America were New York (1), Los Angeles (2), and Atlanta (3).

Soccer:

Spearheaded by the Seattle Sounders’ CONCACAF Champions League title in 2022 and two MLS Cup victories in 2016 and 2019, Seattle’s soccer scene holds the best ranking of all five sports.

Seattle was ranked as No. 3 for the best soccer city in the U.S., behind only No. 1 Los Angeles and No. 2 Orlando. Notably, Portland was ranked at No. 5.

Other notable accomplishments for the Sounders include four U.S. Open Cup titles in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2014, a Leagues Cup victory in 2025, and the first MLS team to appear in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Hockey:

As one of the newest franchises in the NHL, the Seattle Kraken have made the playoffs one time in its early four-season history, upsetting the reigning champions, Colorado Avalanche, in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

Seattle was positioned at No. 23 on the rankings, with No. 1 Boston leading the pack, with other notable West Coast cities ranked ahead, including Anaheim (14), Los Angeles (18), and San Jose (19).

Basketball:

The city of Seattle lost its beloved SuperSonics in 2008, and continues to make noise for getting the franchise back more than 15 years later.

Despite Seattle’s diehard basketball fanbase vying to return the SuperSonics to the city, Seattle was ranked No. 148 on the list.

The No. 1 basketball city in the rankings was Los Angeles, with Boston trailing behind at No. 2, and San Francisco rounding out the top three.

Portland, a previous Western Conference rival, was ranked as the 17th-best basketball city.

WalletHub study metrics:

More than 50 key metrics were used to gauge the city that stands above the rest, taking into consideration each city’s passionate fanbase, team success, and easy access to each sport, among other metrics.

All of the 399 cities included in the study were divided into three groups based on population. Seattle fell into the “Large cities” category as it is home to more than 300,000 residents.

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