When it comes to environmental impact, we all have choices to make: use less water, recycle more, turn down the thermostat.
But few choices are as consequential as the vehicles we choose to drive and how we drive them. Data published by the EPA indicates that the US transportation sector accounts for 27% of our national greenhouse gas emissions, with passenger cars and light-duty trucks acting as the single greatest contributor to the sector. With over 263 million registered vehicles on the road in this country, it is clear that America’s love affair with the automobile has a major impact on our environment.
Not all communities have an equal effect on the environment, however. Some cities have an appreciably lower impact than others, based on their residents’ choice of vehicles and driving habits. So the data scientists at Insurify, a car insurance quotes comparison website, set out to determine which US cities are the greenest. After analyzing over 1.5MM auto insurance queries submitted through our car insurance comparison platform, Insurify identified and ranked the five communities in each state with the lowest average vehicular carbon footprint.
Selection Process for Insurify’s 2018 Greenest Cities Award
Insurify’s Greenest Cities Award recognizes the cities with the lowest average household carbon footprint. Our sample of over 1.5MM auto insurance queries provided us detailed information on vehicles, mileage driven, and count of vehicles per household in communities across the United States, which allowed us to calculate household impact and identify the top-ranked communities (data on a minimum of 100 households was required to qualify). Our analysis factored in the following inputs:
| Input | Impact |
|---|---|
| Fuel Efficiency | More fuel-efficient engine types such as hybrids and EVs have a lower impact on the environment. |
| Engine Displacement | Traditionally, larger engines have been more polluting. |
| Drivetrain | Drivetrain (4×4, AWD, RWD, FWD) impacts fuel consumption. |
| Annual Mileage | Lower mileage reduces impact. |
| Vehicles per Household | Lower vehicle-to-driver ratio reduces overall household impact. |
By plugging all of these factors into our algorithm, Insurify identified the greenest cities of 2018. Some winners already have a reputation for environmentalism, while others might surprise you, but we followed the data where it led us—an approach that rewards communities that actually impact the environment less, versus those that only preach green living.
Winners of Insurify’s 2018 Greenest Cities Award
| Connecticut | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New York |
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| Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | |||
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| Indiana | Illinois | Iowa | Kansas | Michigan |
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| Minnesota | Missouri | Nebraska | North Dakota | Ohio |
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| Wisconsin | South Dakota* | |||
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| Alabama | Arkansas | Delaware | Florida | Georgia |
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| Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Mississippi | North Carolina |
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| Oklahoma | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Virginia |
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| West Virginia | ||||
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| Arizona | California | Colorado | Idaho | Montana |
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| Nevada | New Mexico | Oregon | Utah | Washington |
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| Wyoming* | ||||
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* Indicates that fewer than five cities reached the necessary data minimum of 100 households
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Insurify’s team of data scientists and content specialists presents Insurify Insights, a series of automotive, home, and health studies focusing on the topics that impact us all. Through expert analysis of over 1.9 million car insurance applications and an array of top data sources, the Insurify Insights team produces new data-driven articles, trend analyses, regional superlatives, and national rankings every week.