14 Rudest Cities in the U.S.
Let’s face it: We’ve all run into a less-than-friendly American or two. Maybe you’d even classify yourself in that category. But it goes beyond individuals; some cities are notorious for having a rude local culture (unfriendly New York City streets, anyone?).
But stereotypes aren’t always true, so language learning marketplace Preply ran a study that revealed which cities in the U.S. have the rudest populations from a statistical standpoint.
Ranking Rude Cities
Preply surveyed 1,577 locals across the 30 biggest cities in the US. The survey asked participants to rate the average rudeness of the residents in their city on a scale of one to ten. The higher the number, the ruder the city.
1: Philadelphia
So much for the City of Brotherly Love; Philadelphia ranks as the rudest city in America (6.43 on a scale of 10), according to survey participants. The most common rude behavior complaint is Philadelphia locals talking with their phone speakers on in public.
2: Memphis
From a numerical standpoint, Memphis ranked as the second rudest city in the U.S. (6.05 out of 10). However, the Blues City had the greatest number of redness behavior complaints from those surveyed. Not letting people merge in traffic, being noisy in public, not respecting personal space, and being rude to service staff were among them.
3: New York City
Many Americans likely had NYC pegged as the rudest city in the U.S. However, it ranks as 0.43 points less rude than Philadelphia. According to Preply’s participants, the most common rude behaviors New Yorkers display are being absorbed by their phones in public and having closed-off body language.
4: Las Vegas
The Entertainment Capital of the World isn’t where you want to spend your time if you lose at a round of poker. Las Vegas locals have a knack for being rude, according to fellow locals, scoring a high 5.98 out of 10.
5: Boston
Yet another northeast city makes the list of rudest American cities. Survey participants point the finger at Boston for its locals not slowing down around pedestrians when driving and not acknowledging strangers. It’s rudeness at its finest, proved by a 5.9 score.
6: Detroit
Detroit locals can breathe a sigh of relief for not being among the top five rudest cities, but that doesn’t mean many of its residents are polite. The Motor City ranks a high 5.7 out of 10 for rudeness.
7: San Francisco
San Francisco’s foggy weather may cause less-than-pleasant attitudes among its residents, according to Preply’s results. The Golden City ranks just 0.01 points below Detroit for rudest city.
8: Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., isn’t a formal state, but it has enough rude locals that Preply deemed it important enough to include on this list. Its 5.56 rudeness rating doesn’t make the nation’s political hub seem so charming.
9: Los Angeles
The City of Angels looks anything but angelic, according to Preply’s rudeness findings. Los Angeles is the ninth rudest metropolitan city in the U.S., with a rudeness score of 5.35.
10: Houston
Houston isn’t sitting much better than Los Angeles, ranking 0.02 better on the rudeness scale.
11: Phoenix
Phoenix might be a city you want to keep off your list when visiting Arizona if you’re trying to avoid rude residents. Locals self-ranked themselves as ruder than average (5.22 out of 10).
12: Jacksonville
With a rudeness ranking of 5.18, Jacksonville nears the middle of the road for big cities with rude Americans from a numbers point of view. But the Florida city is still far ruder than most metropolitan areas in the US, according to Preply participants.
13: Seattle
You might need to put your guard up when visiting Seattle. The city received a 5.14 score on the rudeness cities in America scale.
14: Louisville
Louisville is the last of the ultra-rude cities in Preply’s rankings, averaging 5.12 out of 10 for rude locals. It’s not a great look, but it’s better than Philadelphia’s 6.43 rating.
Most Polite Cities
Austin ranked as the least rude city in America, according to Preply’s survey. Visitors to the eclectic Texan city will undoubtedly feel the difference between its 3.31 score and that of Philadelphia’s. San Diego, Fort Worth, and Nashville ranked as the second to fourth least rude cities in the US.
A Pattern
According to Preply’s findings, the most polite cities in America are concentrated around the southern, midwestern, and western parts of the country. A whopping five of the least rude cities are in Texas.
Rudeness Overload
Problematic driving and being disrespectful of shared spaces were the two most common rudeness pain points Americans listed in Preply’s survey.
Locals vs Non-Locals
Of the participants surveyed, 55% responded that they believe a city’s non-locals are ruder than its locals. That said, Philadelphia ranked the highest with having the rudest locals, and Charlotte ranked the highest with having the rudest non-locals.
Rudeness Overseas
Preply asked participants to agree or disagree with the statement, “Americans tend to act rudely when visiting abroad, even if it’s unintentional.” Seventy-six percent of people said they believe it’s true.
Where Rudeness Comes From
According to the Science of People, rudeness often stems from someone’s insecurity or fear. Furthermore, an otherwise non-rude person may become rude if someone acts rudely towards them.
Case in point? A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study showed that about 70% of employees experienced rudeness in the workplace, and many times, the start of a rudeness outbreak was traced to a single source.
The Price of Rudeness
While it’s unlikely the cities on this list receive fewer tourists due to rude behaviors, on a smaller scale, rudeness can cost a business money. According to Harvard Business Review, approximately 50% of employees intentionally decrease their effort or quality of work when experiencing rudeness on the job. Furthermore, customers who see even one rude interaction are quick to generalize that rudeness runs in the company’s brand.
The Why
Most Americans don’t enjoy seeing someone behave rudely to others, but from a psychological perspective, having negative feelings about witnessing a rude interaction at a business runs even deeper. According to experts, exposure to rudeness can spark an array of negative emotions ranging from outrage to distress. It can even disrupt how a person moves forward throughout their day.
Major Consequences
Research shows that medical personnel who’ve been exposed to rudeness perform at suboptimal levels, including making poor decisions that could have life-or-death implications for a patient. Let that be a wake-up call to all of us to leave rudeness at the door.
Rudest States in America
Now you know the rudest cities in the U.S. But what about the rudest states? According to a study by Zippia, residents from these states are more likely to be downright rude.
America’s Rudest States Ranked From 1 to 50
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