Adults in America require a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night, but some are still falling short. Everything from car alarms going off to sunlight seeping in through the curtains could put a serious dent in the quality of your sleep. And while some cities lull you to bed with the sounds of crickets chirping, others may prevent you from getting a peaceful sleep all together.
It’s no secret that poor sleep has a serious impact on your mood and brain health and if you’re chugging multiple cups of coffee just to get through your day, then the city you’re sleeping in could be to blame!
To determine the best and worst cities to catch some ZZZs, the team here at Coventry Direct analyzed 100 of the most populous cities in the U.S. and ranked them according to over a dozen sleep-induced factors. Get your face mask and earplugs ready so you can find the best places to sleep for a good night’s rest!
Our “Sleepy-Eyed” Findings
- Provo, UT, ranked number one for the best city to get a good night’s rest with a city score of 41.52 out of 50.
- Residents in Washington, D.C., may wake up feeling drowsy as the U.S. Capitol ranked worst for a good night’s rest with a city score of 14.32 out of 50.
- Ranking 78th on our list is Orlando, FL, with a city score of 24.25 out of 50, but ranks number one for the most road and aviation noise.
- North Port, FL, ranks number one for the least light pollution with a near-perfect category score of 9.94 out of 10.
The Best & Worst U.S. Cities for a Good Night’s Rest
If you’re curious about what city gets the most sleep, then look no further. We looked at 15 sleep-approved ranking factors like white noise machine search interest and the average hours of sunlight per month and assessed them across the map. Pull back the sleep mask and see which cities are getting their beauty rest!
Provo, UT, places first with a city score of 41.52 out of 50. Provo residents take their sleeping seriously, as The Garden City had a high online search interest in sleep masks and ASMR. Autonomous sensory meridian response or ASMR for short can bring about deep relaxation, stimulated by gentle, soft sounds.
Placing second on our list is Virginia Beach, VA, with a city score of 39.89 out of 50. Touting both a low crime index and low brightness, Virginia Beach is the perfect place to sleep peacefully.
North-Port Sarasota, FL, fills the third spot on our list as one of the best places to sleep with a city score of 38.33 out of 50. Residents of North-Port Sarasota experience low levels of radiance and artificial brightness.
Washington, DC, is one of the cities that never sleeps, with a city score of 14.32 out of 50. Our Nation’s Capital has a nonexistent search interest for sleep apps, proving their desire to stay awake over getting some shut-eye.
This is followed by Chicago, IL, which has a city score of 20.75 out of 50 and receives honorable mentions as one of the worst cities to get a peaceful sleep.
The Best U.S. Cities to See the Night Sky
Buildings, street lights, and other artificial sources of light all contribute to light pollution, which makes the night sky glow, causing both humans and animals to suffer. To find the best places to sleep with the least light pollution, we ranked cities according to their radiance, brightness, and artificial brightness with a possible category score out of 10.
North-Port Sarasota, FL, received an almost perfect city score of 9.94 out of 10 with Palm Bay, FL, (9.93 out of 10) following closely behind. The City of Palm Bay has a Sustainability Action Plan to reduce light pollution in municipal buildings through low-level shielded light fixtures that produce long wavelength LED lighting.
You can stargaze with ease in Ogden, UT, which received a city score of 9.65 out of 10. North Fork Park, located minutes outside of Ogden, is one of Utah’s certified International Dark Sky Parks, perfect for camping and viewing the Milky Way.
Both Virginia Beach, VA, (9.64 out of 10) and Poughkeepsie, NY, (9.55 out of 10) received high marks for low light pollution as well.
Closing Thoughts
As we age, sleep becomes even more vital, but certain cities are better suited to help you sleep peacefully than others. Low activity, light pollution, and crime rates are all essential factors in getting some shut-eye and giving your body the restorative sleep it needs to function properly.
While you may have no problem surrendering to sleep, surrendering your life insurance policy back to the insurance company isn’t always a good idea. Instead, Coventry Direct wants to help you sell your policy today so you can turn your policy into cash.
Methodology
To determine what city gets the most sleep across the map, we compiled a list of the top 100 U.S. cities by population and ranked them on a variety of factors, such as road and aviation noises, light pollution, white noise machine search interest, and more to determine the best cities to get a good night’s sleep.
We assigned cities with a score of 0-5 for each factor, with a score of 5 representing the most favorable sleep conditions. We determined each city’s total score from the total of its individual factor scores, which were weighted according to their impact on getting a peaceful sleep. Individual factor scores were then added together to give each city a final score from 0-50. Higher scores indicated cities that are better for sleeping.
Ranking factors:
Road & Aviation Noise (in decibels)
- Weight: 2.50
- Source: Arcgis
Crime Index
- Weight: 1.00
- Source: Neighborhood Scout
Radiance
- Weight: 0.75
- Source: Light Pollution Map
Brightness
- Weight: 0.75
- Source: Light Pollution Map
Artificial Brightness
- Weight: 0.75
- Source: Light Pollution Map
Level of Inactivity by State
- Weight: 1.00
- Source: CDC
Average Hours of Sunlight per Month
- Weight: 1.25
- Source: Weather U.S.
Sleep-related Terms Search Interest
- Weight: 0.25
- Source: Google Trends
Full Data
That wraps up our city ranking of the Best U.S. Cities for a Good Night’s Rest. Interested in diving deeper into the numbers for all of the cities, or wanting to see how your city stacks up if it’s not listed within the above map?
We’ve compiled our full data study for all 100 U.S. cities analyzed into the interactive data table below. Search for the city you call home or click on the heading of each column to sort by that category!
