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California (and Californians) have plenty of reasons to brag, and now it has three more. A national ranking of America’s greenest cities put a trio of Golden State cities at the top of the list, according to WalletHub’s 2026 report. Oakland took first place, San Jose came in second and San Francisco rounded out the top three.
Released last month, the report compared the 100 most populous U.S. cities across 28 metrics spanning environmental quality, transportation, energy sources and lifestyle and public policy. Among the factors considered were greenhouse gas emissions, air and water quality, access to green space, renewable energy use and how often residents rely on cars to get around.
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Oakland, CA, earned an overall score of 70.83 out of 100, edging out San Jose's 70.20 and San Francisco's 69.94. The East Bay city scored particularly well on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, ranking among the country's best in both categories. Oakland also benefits from its network of parks, community gardens, farmers' markets and bike infrastructure, giving residents more opportunities to get outside without firing up a car.
San Jose, meanwhile, has embraced renewable energy. More than half of the city's electricity comes from renewable sources, according to WalletHub, and the city ranks among the nation's leaders in per-capita solar panel installations. San Francisco also gets more than half of its energy from renewable sources, while earning high marks for community gardens, farmers' markets, and commuters who carpool.
And the good news doesn't stop at the Bay Area. San Diego landed at No. 6, while Fremont and Irvine ranked seventh and eighth, respectively. Sacramento ranked No. 12, Anaheim No. 17, and Long Beach No. 22.
Los Angeles, to no one's surprise, has some work to do: The sprawling metropolis ranked No. 24 overall, with its weakest showing coming in the environment category, where it placed 85th out of 100 cities. Its energy sources ranking was a more respectable 12th, suggesting there's still room to turn those sustainability ambitions into a cleaner urban environment.
The rankings aren't a definitive verdict on every city's environmental credentials: WalletHub evaluated city proper rather than surrounding metro areas, and it couldn't include recycling rates because comparable data wasn't available across all cities. Still, California's showing is hard to ignore.
For a state that regularly grapples with wildfires, drought and extreme heat, having three cities lead the national sustainability conversation is welcome news. Now, if only we could convince everyone that L.A.'s bus system is actually worthwhile.
For the full list, click here.
The top 10 greenest cities in America, according to WalletHub:
1. Oakland, California
2. San Jose, California
3. San Francisco, California
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Honolulu, Hawaii
6. San Diego, California
7. Fremont, California
8. Irvine, California
9. Portland, Oregon
10. Minneapolis, Minnesota