Mealtime Magic - 2023's Best Cities for Ice Cream Lovers

 

To help you beat the record summer heat, LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Ice Cream Lovers. We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on four categories. We considered access to ice cream, froyo, and gelato, consumer ratings, and ice cream awards, among 10 total metrics. See the 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for ice cream lovers below, followed by key stats from our report.

Best Cities for Ice Cream Lovers Rank City 1 Miami, FL 2 San Francisco, CA 3 New York, NY 4 Los Angeles, CA 5 Philadelphia, PA 6 St. Louis, MO 7 Las Vegas, NV 8 Honolulu, HI 9 Washington, DC 10 Orlando, FL Worst Cities for Ice Cream Lovers Rank City 1 Montgomery, AL 2 Macon, GA 3 Springfield, MA 4 Columbus, GA 5 Amarillo, TX 6 Thornton, CO 7 Warren, MI 8 Lubbock, TX 9 Laredo, TX 10 Fayetteville, NC

Key Insights: Sunny Sundaes: Miami (No. 1) boasts the best ice cream Access, with over four vendors per square mile. The next-best Access is found in San Francisco (No. 2) with over three vendors per square mile. Magic City also offers the most gelaterias. California Confections: The Golden State churns out the most ice cream in the U.S., and 33 Cali cities ranked in the top half of our leaderboard. Los Angeles (No. 4) offers 125 top-rated ice cream and frozen yogurt vendors — the most in our ranking. Ice cream vendors in Pasadena (No. 18) claim the highest average consumer rating. Lot o’ Gelato: Both frozen yogurt and gelato are tasty — and often healthier — ice cream alternatives. Residents prefer gelato over froyo in Washington (No. 9), San Diego (No. 11), and Chicago (No. 15), according to local Google searches. Washington has the 3rd-best access to gelaterias.  Frozen Potential: Nashville, Tennessee (No. 106), Kansas City, Missouri (No. 113), and Fort Worth, Texas (No. 140), finished within the bottom 30 for Access. However, each city scored among the top 40 cities with the most searches for ice cream, demonstrating potential markets for new — or better — ice cream shops. Gateway to Goodness: St. Louis (No. 6) takes 1st place in Contest Awards, milking the most total wins from recent North American Ice Cream Association Awards. Kansas City, Kansas (No. 139), claimed the highest total points from the past three International Dairy Foods Association Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Awards. America’s Dairyland: Wisconsin is known for its dairy industry, and ice cream is no exception for dairy-loving cheeseheads in Madison (No. 27) and Milwaukee (No. 58). While both cities have low Access, they each boast high scores in Contest Awards — Madison landing in 2nd place — and Consumer Satisfaction.   Helpful Links: Full Ranking Full Study Article Expert Insights Methodology Don’t melt in the sun while trying to keep up with your lawn care this summer. Hire a local LawnStarter pro to take care of your yard chores so you can enjoy a cone.