Florida City Ranks Among the 14 Rudest Cities in America
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.
Do you agree that the Florida city that made this list deserves to be there?
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.
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