What are the 5 most affordable LGBTQ+ friendly cities in blue states
What are the 5 most affordable LGBTQ+ friendly cities in blue states? Find out here on this episode. Then download your FREE Queer Money Kickstarter, a 9-step Guide to Kickstart Your Journey to Financial Independence.
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What are the 5 most affordable LGBTQ+ friendly cities in blue states?
On this Queer Money®, we’re sharing the 5 most affordable, LGBTQ+-friendly cities for in blue states on our affordable, LGBTQ+-friendly city series.
Syracuse, New York, comes in at #5. Syracuse, New York’s home values average $158,000 per property, the lowest on our top five list. The cost of living is 85.9% of the national average, the fourth lowest on our list. 50.8% of the city’s population identifies as people of color.
Coming in at #4 is Racine, Wisconsin. Racine, Wisconsin, has an average of $932 monthly for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, the lowest of the top 5. The cost of living is 80.4% of the national average, the second lowest of the top 5. Racine has a median income of $51,000 and an average income of $69,000, both of which are the lowest of the top 5.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, came in at #3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, scored third position out of 177 cities for affordable and friendly for LGBTQ+ singles. Pittsburgh’s home values average $193,000, the second lowest of our top 5 list. The cost of living is 94.7% of the national average, the highest on the top 5 list. Pittsburgh has a median income of $57,000 annually, the second highest on our top 5 list, and an average income of $76,000 annually, the highest on our top 5 list.
Rochester, New York, came in at #2. Rochester is noted as a great city for trans folks due to medical and other resources. Rochester has an average rent of $1,366 a month for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, the highest of the top 5. The cost of living is 79.1%, the lowest of the top 5.
It is worth noting that of all the blue states we analyzed, a total of 82 cities scored 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Quality Index. We were scolded for listing Laramie, Wyoming when we covered Wyoming. It is important to note that 106 cities in blue states scored 77 or less on HRC’s MEI, and Laramie scored 77 at that time. By the way, Laramie just jumped from 77 in 2023 to 89 (12 pts) in 2024.
We have five honorable mentions to share – places gays actually do love. Ferndale, Michigan, is one of the gayest neighborhoods in Detroit coming in at #25. It is full of great restaurants, bars, and coffee shops that cater to the queer community. Chicago, Illinois, at #21. Nothing needs to be said about Chicago. Everybody loves Chicago. Washington DC, at #20, is a city packed with queer people, and the reason it is high is due to median and average incomes. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at #17 and Baltimore, Maryland at #8.
And the #1 on our list is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Out of 177 cities that we analyzed, Milwaukee scored 6th in the affordable and friendly LGBTQ+ singles category. It was the winning city from last week’s episode on climate change readiness. 67% of the population identify as people of color. Milwaukee’s home values average $288 per property, the highest of the top 5. The cost of living is 91.5% of the national average. Milwaukee’s median income averages $57,000, the highest of the top 5. The average income is $76,000, the second highest of the top 5.
Some privileges are financial, racial, gender expression, and health or well-being. We’re taking all the data we’ve acquired over the last year and breaking it down further to help people narrow down regions of the country to consider the most affordable, LGBTQ+-friendly cities for people who are single, couples, and more. Lotsa fun is coming your way!
If you’d like to see the results of all the cities in each state we’re analyzing, get the dynamic list of Affordable LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities in the U.S. here. or click the link in your podcast player for a growing analysis.
For the resources and to connect with our guests, get the show notes at: https://queermoneypodcast.com/subscribe.
Previous Bonus Podcast Episodes
- Top 7 Most Affordable Climate-Ready Gay Cities
- Most Affordable, LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities Queer Couples
- Most Affordable, LGBTQ+ friendly Cities for Singles
Click below to listen to this bonus episode.