2022’s Best Cities for Country Music Fans

Remember that time you slashed your boyfriend’s tires for flirting with a bleach-blond tramp? Or when you went fishing to forget how much you miss your wife (the one you left)?

If those bluesy, downhome lyrics sound like your life’s story, then you probably love you some good ol’ country. But where are the best U.S. cities to live like you were dying?

Marking International Country Music Day this Sept. 17, LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best Cities for Country Music Fans. 

We compared over 180 of the biggest cities based on eight key factors, such as the number of country music festivals, access to performance venues, and the affordability of concert tickets.

We also gauged local interest in the genre based on Google search data, the number of country music stations, and even the existence of country music museums.

See which cities’ dirt roads lead to the top country music scenes below, followed by some highlights and lowlights

Contents

• City Rankings
• Highlights and Lowlights
• Surprising Findings
• Ask the Experts
• Behind the Ranking
• Final Thoughts

City Rankings

See how each city fared in our ranking:

Overall Rank (1=Best)	City	Overall Score	Access Rank	Venue Quality Rank	Genre Interest Rank	Concert Affordability Rank
1	Nashville, TN	77.14	1	68	1	116
2	New York, NY	44.20	2	76	2	47
3	Salt Lake City, UT	32.51	3	50	47	34
4	Atlanta, GA	31.59	11	47	4	33
5	Charleston, SC	28.48	4	45	102	48
6	Chicago, IL	28.22	22	60	6	14
7	Austin, TX	27.88	20	65	5	42
8	Richmond, VA	26.23	8	26	60	43
9	Eugene, OR	25.87	7	36	51	69
10	Denver, CO	25.36	14	79	13	30
11	Pittsburgh, PA	25.01	5	75	42	141
12	Grand Rapids, MI	24.21	15	12	63	111
13	Seattle, WA	24.06	26	55	16	13
14	Portland, OR	23.98	19	62	31	26
15	St. Louis, MO	23.64	6	103	37	139
16	Knoxville, TN	23.41	12	14	34	181
17	Minneapolis, MN	22.90	23	63	20	44
18	Los Angeles, CA	22.66	69	90	3	58
19	Cincinnati, OH	22.62	18	73	28	96
20	San Francisco, CA	22.13	60	16	23	6
21	Boston, MA	22.12	40	32	39	28
22	Savannah, GA	22.05	9	70	107	143
23	Baton Rouge, LA	21.98	16	48	87	121
24	Birmingham, AL	21.41	39	7	53	130
25	Rochester, NY	21.34	10	41	72	179
26	Dallas, TX	21.22	66	33	8	77
27	Indianapolis, IN	21.06	25	69	26	104
28	Madison, WI	20.98	32	46	76	36
29	Denton, TX	20.74	34	18	137	101
30	Huntsville, AL	20.72	28	59	80	41
31	New Orleans, LA	20.68	13	105	54	129
32	Memphis, TN	20.15	43	56	9	171
33	Washington, DC	20.15	57	53	25	8
34	Kansas City, MO	19.80	33	66	46	102
35	Chattanooga, TN	19.67	17	84	69	157
36	Buffalo, NY	19.39	27	29	55	175
37	Houston, TX	19.26	96	39	7	82
38	Des Moines, IA	19.23	46	34	95	71
39	Pomona, CA	19.01	152	1	164	123
40	Grand Prairie, TX	18.86	168	1	155	97
41	Louisville, KY	18.84	31	91	38	105
42	Milwaukee, WI	18.68	48	35	39	127
43	Macon, GA	18.65	30	42	155	152
44	Mobile, AL	18.26	41	61	105	98
45	Lexington, KY	18.24	36	85	65	75
46	Orlando, FL	18.21	42	77	24	151
47	Springfield, MO	18.12	21	72	80	172
48	Colorado Springs, CO	18.05	49	58	56	56
49	Fort Collins, CO	17.91	24	113	116	50
50	Charlotte, NC	17.83	63	88	18	49
51	Raleigh, NC	17.76	64	71	29	53
52	Philadelphia, PA	17.60	78	23	16	145
53	Tacoma, WA	17.59	61	29	74	89
54	Providence, RI	17.53	50	38	122	110
55	Spokane, WA	17.43	37	78	73	125
56	St. Paul, MN	17.38	71	28	52	62
57	Columbus, OH	17.30	59	83	21	87
58	San Diego, CA	17.10	97	43	15	39
59	Corpus Christi, TX	17.07	68	11	78	114
60	Las Vegas, NV	16.94	38	98	19	180
61	Fort Wayne, IN	16.86	103	4	80	119
62	Worcester, MA	16.71	72	8	150	122
63	Tampa, FL	16.61	76	27	36	120
64	Tulsa, OK	16.60	35	111	59	117
65	Tucson, AZ	16.44	51	64	43	156
66	Wichita, KS	16.33	29	119	65	76
67	Oklahoma City, OK	16.32	45	106	48	112
68	Phoenix, AZ	16.08	98	49	14	72
69	Fort Worth, TX	16.03	62	96	32	90
70	Little Rock, AR	16.01	54	89	64	63
71	Amarillo, TX	15.94	113	5	109	128
72	San Antonio, TX	15.92	79	86	11	131
73	Boise, ID	15.65	47	107	91	86
74	Tempe, AZ	15.59	74	37	118	94
75	Cleveland, OH	15.38	70	44	27	170
76	Joliet, IL	15.22	101	20	155	22
77	San Jose, CA	15.07	133	22	39	10
78	Sacramento, CA	14.94	80	74	35	95
79	Baltimore, MD	14.69	75	87	30	109
80	Albuquerque, NM	14.65	52	109	43	144
81	Bakersfield, CA	14.40	95	100	10	103
82	Omaha, NE	14.25	55	118	45	67
83	Greensboro, NC	14.21	92	25	92	118
84	Syracuse, NY	14.18	77	13	120	178
85	Montgomery, AL	14.16	65	124	12	74
86	Winston-Salem, NC	14.10	91	29	103	124
87	Long Beach, CA	14.08	122	9	67	84
88	Lincoln, NE	14.07	56	112	88	88
89	Jackson, MS	14.03	44	115	98	147
90	Dayton, OH	13.87	67	57	80	168
91	Murfreesboro, TN	13.81	84	54	61	132
92	Reno, NV	13.38	58	80	95	173
93	Bridgeport, CT	13.34	124	3	182	182
94	Shreveport, LA	13.25	93	24	142	154
95	Akron, OH	13.12	99	19	120	146
96	St. Petersburg, FL	13.00	89	52	77	138
97	Columbus, GA	12.99	106	17	138	140
98	Detroit, MI	12.92	81	51	50	177
99	McAllen, TX	12.53	140	6	162	135
100	Scottsdale, AZ	12.52	73	120	93	9
101	Fullerton, CA	12.45	127	40	172	38
102	Augusta, GA	12.31	104	20	122	159
103	Riverside, CA	12.16	158	10	67	83
104	Fort Lauderdale, FL	11.70	88	108	71	92
105	Oakland, CA	11.69	100	104	93	35
106	Norfolk, VA	11.34	102	92	122	55
107	Tallahassee, FL	11.34	53	116	88	174
108	Henderson, NV	11.33	135	15	98	150
109	Durham, NC	11.03	105	92	78	80
110	Miami, FL	10.99	111	92	22	165
111	Aurora, IL	10.80	123	102	174	12
112	Fresno, CA	10.52	108	81	62	137
113	Mesa, AZ	10.47	143	67	58	85
114	Jacksonville, FL	10.28	110	97	33	161
115	Salem, OR	9.82	82	124	109	61
116	Midland, TX	9.63	90	124	153	31
117	Alexandria, VA	9.51	112	122	129	3
118	Anchorage, AK	9.45	94	124	114	19
119	Hampton, VA	9.37	85	124	155	64
120	Huntington Beach, CA	9.24	148	92	147	25
121	Sioux Falls, SD	9.15	87	121	130	106
122	Sunnyvale, CA	9.05	155	110	176	2
123	Naperville, IL	9.03	116	124	159	1
124	El Paso, TX	8.99	137	82	49	149
125	Lubbock, TX	8.73	83	124	80	126
126	Virginia Beach, VA	8.46	118	124	56	17
127	Jersey City, NJ	7.93	115	124	127	21
128	Chandler, AZ	7.91	114	124	112	27
129	Aurora, CO	7.83	107	124	75	60
130	Cape Coral, FL	7.64	129	99	132	155
131	Santa Ana, CA	7.62	154	101	117	91
132	McKinney, TX	7.48	119	124	136	24
133	Overland Park, KS	7.26	130	124	70	11
134	Waco, TX	7.19	86	124	130	167
135	Bellevue, WA	7.15	142	124	162	4
136	Toledo, OH	6.95	120	113	101	162
137	Chesapeake, VA	6.72	139	124	119	18
138	Santa Rosa, CA	6.41	125	124	150	57
139	Santa Clarita, CA	6.35	138	124	113	32
140	Roseville, CA	6.23	134	124	144	37
141	Newport News, VA	6.15	126	124	141	66
142	Plano, TX	5.97	146	124	97	20
143	Vancouver, WA	5.83	161	117	85	93
144	Modesto, CA	5.66	121	124	134	108
145	Frisco, TX	5.33	178	124	126	7
146	Arlington, TX	5.33	136	124	85	100
147	Clarksville, TN	5.27	109	124	90	169
148	Irvine, CA	5.26	164	124	104	15
149	Glendale, AZ	5.21	132	124	114	107
150	Rockford, IL	5.14	141	124	149	73
151	Fremont, CA	5.11	182	124	160	5
152	Fayetteville, NC	4.80	117	124	106	163
153	Corona, CA	4.73	174	123	144	45
154	Orange, CA	4.69	167	124	164	23
155	Olathe, KS	4.66	166	124	170	16
156	Anaheim, CA	4.63	157	124	100	65
157	Pasadena, CA	4.62	163	124	153	29
158	Escondido, CA	4.55	144	124	168	99
159	Irving, TX	4.36	151	124	135	79
160	Surprise, AZ	4.28	150	124	172	78
161	Oceanside, CA	4.17	159	124	148	68
162	Lakewood, CO	4.15	172	124	107	53
163	Hayward, CA	4.12	173	124	175	40
164	Carrollton, TX	4.09	165	124	176	46
165	Stockton, CA	4.07	147	124	111	115
166	Peoria, AZ	3.99	175	124	133	51
167	San Bernardino, CA	3.96	128	124	144	160
168	Chula Vista, CA	3.81	181	124	139	52
169	Kansas City, KS	3.80	145	124	127	133
170	Glendale, CA	3.63	179	124	152	59
171	Springfield, MA	3.51	131	124	179	166
172	Yonkers, NY	3.38	180	124	160	70
173	Garden Grove, CA	3.23	176	124	179	81
174	Mesquite, TX	3.13	153	124	164	134
175	Lancaster, CA	3.06	156	124	170	136
176	Hollywood, FL	3.00	149	124	122	153
177	Palmdale, CA	2.79	169	124	178	113
178	Laredo, TX	2.56	162	124	142	148
179	Paterson, NJ	2.22	170	124	181	142
180	Newark, NJ	2.07	160	124	164	164
181	Killeen, TX	1.81	171	124	140	158
182	Brownsville, TX	0.74	177	124	168	176

Highlights and Lowlights

Undefeated Nashville

For the second year in a row, Nashville, Tennessee, topped our ranking charts as 2022’s unofficial Country Music Capital.

This outcome was really a foregone conclusion. After all, Music City is where country legends are born — and where many stay. Stars like Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves call the area home, so if you aspire to be the next Carrie Underwood or Morgan Wallen, Nashville is the place to put down roots.

In our ranking, Music City naturally dominated the Access and Genre Interest categories. No other big city has booked more acts for the next 2 years and Googled country music-related terms more times over the past 12 months.

Where Nashville could use a tune-up: Concert Venue Quality (No. 68) and Affordability (No. 116), though neither seems to have deterred fans. Despite the disappointing stats in these categories, Nashville scored an impressive 33 points higher than the next best country city, New York.

Cowpoke Country

Our top 10 wouldn’t be right without at least one city from Texas, the Cowboy Capital of the World. After all, country music traces some of its roots to the Lone Star State, particularly its cowboy and cowgirl history.

And what better city to fill that spot than the Live Music Capital of the World? At lucky No. 7, Austin boasts a strong country music scene. Every year, the city hosts the popular iHeartCountry Festival featuring the biggest names in country music and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Stats-wise, Austin’s biggest strength is Genre Interest at No. 5. Austin offers plenty of upcoming country concerts, too, placing 14th in this ranking factor. You won’t find a better Texas city if country’s your jam. Dallas comes the closest, at No. 26.

Country Hubs vs. Country Snubs

There are cities Dierks Bently might call “Risers.” Those include the biggest of the big cities that boot-scooted their way to the top of our ranking (or near it). Fringe cities, on the other hand, broke our hearts with their poor performances overall.

Newark and Paterson, New Jersey, for example, occupy two of the five worst spots, but they’re redeemed by their close proximity to silver medalist New York. In other words, these metro outliers don’t need to find their own voice in the country music scene.

It’s a similar story for other cities like Lancaster, California (No. 8 worst), which is sandwiched between two heavy hitters: iconic Bakersfield (No. 81) — dubbed “The Country Music Capital of the West Coast” and “Nashville West” — and Los Angeles (No. 18).

Our bottom cities include some literal outliers, too, mostly in Texas. Coming in last place is Brownsville, Texas, a city that’s more “country” than “country music.” Killeen (Me Softly) — pardon the irresistible pun — was last year’s worst but moved up one spot in 2022. This military city is known more for its fort than anything else.

Surprising Findings

Birthplace of Country?

New York is our first runner-up this year, displacing Las Vegas, our previous silver medalist, but does The Big Apple deserve a spot in our top 5? 

The short answer is yes if for no other reason than a claim guaranteed to ruffle some feathers: that The Big Apple is the real birthplace of the genre — based on a technicality — not Bristol, Virginia, the Congressionally designated official birthplace of country. 

In terms of performance, New York far outnumbered the competition in country radio stations — 24 in all, nearly double the number in Nashville (13). Gotham also will host the fourth-highest number of upcoming country concerts. Last and perhaps most unexpected, the city recorded the second-highest (population-adjusted) volume of Google searches for country terms.

Clearly New Yorkers can’t get enough country in the big city. 

Nationwide Country

It wouldn’t be called “country” if all its fans were concentrated in one region. Although country music is heavily associated with the South, the all-too-relatable songs draw fans from all over America — even around the globe. According to the Country Music Awards, over 139 million listeners tune in to country from every part of the U.S.

Our top 10 alone reflects those trends. Half of those cities are still in the South, as expected, but the other five cover every other region. New York (No. 2) reps the North, Chicago (No. 6) the Midwest, and Denver (No. 10) the Mountain region. Eugene, Oregon (No. 9), stands in for the West Coast, while Salt Lake City (No. 2) shines for the Southwest.

Last year, the South made up the majority of our top 20, but many dropped position this year after we accounted for concert venue quality and concert ticket affordability.

You might even be surprised to learn that New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago — in that order — took up some of the highest spots in average monthly Google searches for country terms.

Behind the Ranking

For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we gathered publicly available data on the factors listed in the table below. 

We then grouped those factors into four categories: Access, Venue Quality, Genre Interest, and Concert Affordability. 

Next, we calculated weighted scores for each city in each category. 

Finally, we averaged the scores for each metro across all categories. We eliminated eight cities lacking sufficient data in a single category, resulting in a final sample size of 182 cities.

The city that earned the highest average score was ranked “Best” (No. 1), while the city with the lowest was ranked “Worst” (No. 182). (Note: The “Worst” among individual factors may not be No. 182 due to ties among cities.)

Sources: Concerts50, Country Music on Tour, Google Ads, Indie on the Move, myTuner Radio, Taste of Country, and Wikipedia

Final Thoughts

Why is LawnStarter ranking the Best Cities for Country Music Fans? 

First of all, we’re based in Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World, so that should clue readers in on our music tastes.

Our industry’s closer to the genre than most people think, too. Nothing epitomizes “country” more than yard work. Just this year, Josh Melton released his single “Cutting Grass,” and the title delivers on its promise — it’s a song about lawn care.

So, on International Country Music Day this Sept. 17, slather on the Coppertone, and enjoy mowing your grass while you listen to your favorite country hits. If you’d rather just enjoy the tunes, hire a local LawnStarter pro instead.

Main Photo Credit: Shutterstock