New York City ranked No. 1 in a list of the 1,000 largest cities in the world, according to Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index.
The global economic advisory firm’s 2026 edition was compiled by its cities and regions team — more than 40 economists who specialize in spatial data, urban dynamics and forecasting — drawing on Oxford Economics’ own economic forecasts along with other publicly available datasets to build a globally consistent profile of the 1,000 largest cities across 163 countries.
Each city was scored across 24 indicators grouped into five weighted categories: economics (30%), human capital (25%), quality of life (25%), environment (10%) and governance (10%). The quality of life category included life expectancy at birth alongside income equality, income per person, housing costs, crime rates and access to recreation and cultural sites. Governance is measured at the national rather than city level, meaning every city in a given country receives the same score for that category.
Several of the top-ranked cities’ strength ties to healthcare-related job growth and infrastructure: Houston is anchored by the Texas Medical Center, while Atlanta is home to the CDC, a major driver of its highly educated workforce. Boston’s life sciences sector — including Moderna and Biogen, both headquartered in the Boston area — likewise underpins its top 10 finish.
Here are the top and bottom ranked U.S. cities, along with their rank out of 1,000 cities across the world, per Oxford Economics:
10 best
1. New York City
4. Seattle
5. San Francisco
7. Boston
8. San Jose, Calif.
12. Los Angeles
14. Washington, D.C.
17. Dallas
28. Houston
31. Atlanta
10 worst
282. Wichita, Kan.
283. Bakersfield, Calif.
298. Syracuse, N.Y.
300. Akron, Ohio
310. Dayton, Ohio
316. Baton Rouge, La.
319. McAllen, Texas
324. Toledo, Ohio
387. New Orleans
