The Best NFL Cities in America (2023 Data) 

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  Written by Matt Brannon

Best NFL Cities, Ranked | 10 Best NFL Cities | 10 Worst NFL Cities | Ranking by Division | Rankings by Category | Methodology | NFL Cities FAQ

It’s been more than 50 years since football surpassed baseball as Americans’ favorite sport to watch.

As the NFL’s popularity has grown, each city has developed its own game-day traditions — a swirling ocean of Terrible Towels in Pittsburgh, a booming barrage of cannon fire in Tampa, and nothing says civic pride like watching Buffalo fans body slam folding tables. 

Fans do these things out of passion for their teams and cities. And because they want to outdo their rivals. Dallas fans want to dominate Philadelphia. Denver fans want to cut Kansas City down to size. Houston fans want people to remember they have a team.

So, which cities actually celebrate football the best — combining a winning culture and an exhilarating atmosphere on game days? To find out, we ranked every NFL city based on its pro football scene. Our analysis used multiple metrics, both on and off the field — from win totals to the number of bars near the stadium.

The metrics below were weighted by importance and combined to produce an overall ranking of the best NFL cities:

• Total historical wins (on a team basis) (x5)
• Total Super Bowl wins (on a city basis) (x5)
• Distance of stadium from the city center (x4)
• Google Trends data for 14 football terms, such as “NFL,” “NFL tickets,” “football,” “football scores,” “stream NFL games,” “fantasy football,” “tailgating,” “sports bars near me,” and others (x4)
• Fan base ranking from Emory University professor Mike Lewis (x4)
• Playoff appearances (on a team basis) (x3)
• Average home game attendance (2022 season) (x3)
• Super Bowl appearances (on a city basis) (x3)
• Beginning of current city occupation (x3)
• Stadium capacity (x2)
• Count of bars within a 1-mile radius of the stadium (x2)
• Percentage of average local monthly income spent on four typical-priced home game tickets (x1)
• Upcoming prime-time appearances (2023-24 season) (x1)

Read on to kick off our 2023 ranking of the best NFL cities!

The 30 NFL Cities, Ranked

The 10 Best NFL Cities

1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh’s winning culture is stronger than steel. The city has claimed six Super Bowls, tied with Boston’s New England Patriots for the most championships of any city.

Pittsburgh also ranks third for the most playoff appearances of any NFL city with 33 in total — 50% more than the average city (22 appearances).

The City of Bridges has had incredible success in the regular season as well, winning 661 games in its history — 36% more than the average NFL city (488). In fact, the team hasn’t had a losing season since coach Mike Tomlin took over in 2007. 

Pittsburgh’s status as the best pro football city is also based on its longevity, with the Steelers having been around for 90 years — 55% longer than the average NFL team’s tenure today (58 years). 

Plus, an independent analysis by Emory University professor Mike Lewis recently ranked Pittsburgh’s fan base as fifth best in the NFL, in part due to an impressive social media presence. 

» Team valuation: $4 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 9-8, third in the AFC North 🏈

2. Green Bay, Wisconsin

Green Bay’s impressive ranking is no mystery — once you know its history. The Packers have been around since 1919. That’s 104 seasons, nearly double the average NFL city (58 years). 

In that time, Green Bay has tallied 35 playoff appearances, tied for the most of any city and 59% more than the average NFL city. Green Bay has also brought home four Super Bowls, the fifth most of any football city in our ranking. 

Famed for its iconic post-touchdown leaps into the front row, Lambeau Field is one of the best venues to see a football game. The stadium has a capacity of 81,441 seats — the second most of any NFL stomping ground after New York’s MetLife Stadium (82,500).

Despite a massive stadium, the Packers still struggle to keep up with the demand for seats. The waitlist to become a season ticket holder is reportedly 147,000 names long. 

» Team valuation: $4.3 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 8-9, third in NFC North 🏈

3. Dallas, Texas

For much of its football history, Dallas has been the star of the show. The city has appeared in the Super Bowl on eight occasions, the second most in the NFL behind the Boston-area Patriots (11) and double the average football city (four appearances). 

Despite a lack of postseason success over the past few years, the bright lights continue to shine on America’s team. Dallas is scheduled to play six games in prime time in the 2023-2024 season — 50% more than the average NFL city (four games). 

AT&T Stadium in Arlington adds thousands of fans via standing-room tickets for Cowboys games, allowing it to rank first for home attendance in 2022, averaging 93,465 fans per contest — 35% more than the typical NFL city (69,062).

Heading into 2023, an annual report by Emory University professor Mike Lewis ranked the Dallas Cowboys fan base the third best in the NFL, behind only the Patriots and Packers. 

» Team valuation: $8 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 12-5, eliminated in Divisional Round 🏈

4. Boston, Massachusetts

Based about 22 miles from downtown Boston, the Patriots spent the last two decades dominating the NFL with six Super Bowl titles, tied with Pittsburgh for the most in the league. 

Boston fans have grown accustomed to seeing their team make the postseason with 28 playoff appearances — 27% more than the average NFL city. 

Boston also received a boost in our rankings for its longevity. The Patriots have been part of the Boston area for 63 years — five years longer than the average NFL team has been playing in its current metro.  

Plus, an annual report by Emory University professor Mike Lewis named Patriots supporters the NFL’s best fans, thanks in part to impressive ticket sales.

» Team valuation: $6.4 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 8-9, third in AFC East 🏈

5. Denver, Colorado

In addition to a culture of winning, Denver offers one of the best game-day experiences of any city. The stadium is easily accessible for local fans, just 1.6 miles from the city center — 73% closer than the typical city’s stadium (5.9 miles). 

Mile High is one of the premier venues in the league, with an average home attendance of 75,980 — the fourth most of any city and 10% more than the typical stadium (69,062). 

In fact, the Broncos own the longest home sellout streak in the NFL, going back to 1970. The team has a 98% season ticket renewal rate — and a staggering 87,000 people on the season ticket waiting list. 

» Team valuation: $6.4 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 5-12, fourth in AFC West 🏈

6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sunday is always sunny for Philadelphia football fans — the city has made 29 trips to the playoffs, tied for the fifth most of any NFL city and 32% more than the average football town (22). 

The Eagles boast a hallowed history and have been a part of Philadelphia pro football since 1933, making Philly the fifth-longest tenured NFL city. The city has seen 90 years of football — 55% more than the average city in our ranking (58 years). 

In that time, the city has built a rabid football following. An independent report ranking the best NFL fandoms in 2023 put the Eagles at No. 4, thanks to high revenues and a strong social media following. That excitement is more than justified when you have quarterback Jalen Hurts taking the team to a Super Bowl appearance in his third season.

» Team valuation: $4.9 Billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 14-3, Super Bowl runner-up 🥈

7. Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City fans are loving every minute of their recent success. The city scored a perfect 100 out of 100 in our football passion metric, based on how often residents are searching Google for football-related terms. 

Arrowhead Stadium is famed for being an intimidating place to play on the road — and for good reason. The stadium averaged 73,499 fans in 2022 home games, 6% more than the typical city’s stadium (69,062 fans). 

Fans who can’t make it to the stadium or don’t have cable will still be able to catch plenty of games in 2023. KC is slated to play six prime-time games this year. The only cities with more are the two-team cities of Los Angeles and New York. 

Even the lights of prime time can’t outshine football’s biggest star, Patrick Mahomes, who is now the most popular active player in the NFL after Tom Brady’s retirement. 

» Team valuation: $3.7 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 14-3, Super Bowl champions 🏆

8. New York, New York

With the benefit of having two NFL teams, New York will appear in 11 prime-time games in 2023 — nearly 3x the average city (four games). That includes five prime-time games for the Giants and six for the Jets, who added superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. 

New York also benefits from a long history of pro football. The Giants debuted in 1925 — making New York the third-longest-tenured NFL city behind Green Bay and Chicago. That’s 98 years of New York football — 69% more years than the average city (58 years). The Jets, meanwhile, debuted in 1960. 

The city has seen respectable success over those years. New York teams have won the Super Bowl on five occasions, with the Giants winning four and the Jets winning one. That’s an edge over the average city in our rankings, which has just two Super Bowl wins. 

» Team valuation: Giants: $6 billion; Jets: $5.4 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: Giants: 9-7-1, eliminated in Divisional Round; Jets: 7-10, fourth in AFC East 🏈

9. San Francisco, California

San Francisco is no stranger to the postseason, having made the playoffs 29 times — 32% more often than the average NFL city, which has 22 playoff appearances.

Given the higher-than-average incomes in the Bay Area, NFL tickets are relatively affordable for residents. Buying four tickets to a 49ers home game would cost the typical local 6.5% of their monthly income — making it the fifth-most affordable city for tickets. 

San Francisco would have ranked higher on this list if it had a stadium closer to the city center. Levi’s Stadium is about 36 miles away from downtown San Francisco — the farthest distance of any city’s center to its team’s field and 6x the average city’s distance (5.9 miles).

Recently, however, the 49ers have been worth the trek, pulling off an impressive late-season run in 2022 with “Mr. Irrelevant” under center.

» Team valuation: $5.2 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 13-4, eliminated in NFC Championship Game 🏈

10. Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Vikings had another memorable season in 2022, highlighted by the largest comeback in NFL history. Along with its triumphs on the field, Minneapolis’ biggest strength in our ranking is the city’s incredible atmosphere for football. 

U.S. Bank Stadium’s position in the heart of downtown Minneapolis makes it one of the best game-day experiences in the country. Just 0.5 miles from the city center, it’s tied with Cleveland for having the most centrally located stadium of any NFL city. 

Because of the stadium’s prime location, there are 143 bars within a 1-mile radius of the field, the sixth most of any city and nearly double the average city’s amount (73). 

Plus, Minneapolis residents have a measurable appreciation for football, according to their Google search activity. The city scored a 71 out of 100 in our football passion metric, based on internet searches for various football-related terms. That includes having the highest search activity of any city for the term “fantasy football.”

» Team valuation: $3.93 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 13-4, eliminated in Wild Card Round 🏈

Necessary Roughness: The 10 Worst NFL Cities

As much as we’d like to praise every NFL city, some are still slumping. It’s only fair that we explain how the 10 cities below ended up at the bottom of the dogpile. 

1. Jacksonville, Florida

Part of Jacksonville’s low ranking can be explained by its lack of history in the league, with the Jaguars arriving in 1995. Despite nearly three decades in the NFL, Jacksonville has yet to appear in a Super Bowl, while the average city in our ranking has appeared in the big game four times. 

Factored into our analysis was an annual report of the best NFL fandoms from Emory University professor Mike Lewis, which listed Jacksonville’s fan base as the third worst, ahead of only the Commanders and Chargers. 

Jacksonville also has the 11th-lowest attendance, averaging 66,459 fans in 2022. TIAA Bank Field may be the Bad Place after all. 

On the bright side, the stadium is in an accessible location — just 1.2 miles from the city center — making game days convenient for fans hoping to see the Cats build on a divisional title and playoff win in 2022 with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. 

» Team valuation: $3.5 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 9-8, eliminated in Divisional Round 🏈

2. Houston, Texas

Apart from on-field struggles, Houston’s off-the-field metrics are also sobering. NRG Stadium has just 10 bars within a 1-mile radius, while the average NFL stadium has 73. 

Similarly, Houston fans don’t seem too enthusiastic about football. The city scored a 52 out of 100 in our passion metric, based on Google searches of football terms. That’s 19% lower than the average football city’s score of 62.

The silver lining for Houston fans is that tickets aren’t too hard to come by. Buying four tickets to a home game costs the typical resident 5% of their monthly income, lower than the 9.4% average in other cities.  

» Team valuation: $4.7 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 3-13-1, fourth in AFC South 🏈

3. Phoenix, Arizona

The Cardinals don’t quite have the pull, or capacity, to host an impressive crowd on game days. The stadium seats just 63,400 — the second lowest in the NFL ahead of Chicago’s Soldier Field. 

The postseason hasn’t come easy to Phoenix, either. The city has appeared in just one Super Bowl, which it lost to the Steelers in the 2008-2009 season. 

It’s not all bad news, though. Phoenix scored an 80 out of 100 in our football passion metric, based on Google search activity for football-related terms. That’s the third-best score of any city behind only Kansas City (100) and Cincinnati (88). 

» Team valuation: $3.3 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 4-13, fourth in NFC West 🏈

4. Charlotte, North Carolina

Like other cities that fell to the bottom of our rankings, Charlotte was hurt by its relatively brief relationship with the Panthers. The city’s NFL scene has been around 28 years — less than half as long as the average city (58 years). 

Fortunately, Charlotte makes up a little ground thanks to a solid game-day experience. The Panthers’ stadium is just 0.6 miles from the city center — third closest of any city — and has 150 bars in a 1-mile radius 

» Team valuation: $3.6 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 7-10, second in NFC South 🏈

5. Los Angeles, California

It’s no surprise that Los Angeles struggled in our rankings due to its teams’ relatively recent arrivals.

The Rams arrived in 2016, meaning the city has only had seven continuous years of an active team representing it — compared to 58 years for the average football city. The Rams’ previous stint in Los Angeles isn’t counted toward its longevity in our metrics, as we can’t reasonably reward a city that had its team leave town.

The placement of SoFi Stadium also hurt LA’s performance in our metrics. The stadium is 8.7 miles away from the city center — 47% farther than the average city’s field (5.9 miles). 

Things look a little better if we average the Chargers’ and Rams’ franchise wins together. In that case, the city has 541 regular-season wins to its name — the 13th most of any city and 11% more than the typical town (488). 

» Team valuation: Rams: $6.2 billion; Chargers: $3.9 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: Rams: 5-12, third in NFC West; Chargers: 10-7, eliminated in Wild Card Round 🏈

6. Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas had a tough time in our ranking, partially due to the Raiders landing in the city in 2020. Las Vegas has just three years of football, a small fraction of the average team’s longevity (58 years). 

Any Raiders’ postseason successes in Oakland didn’t count toward our metrics, so Las Vegas was hurt by having no Super Bowl wins or appearances on the books. 

Fortunately, Las Vegas will get a chance to wow a national audience in 2023, with five Raiders games scheduled for prime time. Only five cities will appear in more prime-time games than Las Vegas.

» Team valuation: $5.1 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 6-11, third in AFC West 🏈

7. Atlanta, Georgia

Despite a long history, Atlanta has reached the playoffs only 14 playoff times — 57% fewer than the average football city (22 appearances). Only five teams have made fewer postseasons, and they’ve all been competing for fewer years than Atlanta. 

If Atlanta’s upcoming season goes south, it’ll be struggling in the shadows. The city has no prime-time games scheduled for 2023-2024. 

One perk Atlanta football fans do get is affordability. Buying four tickets to a home game would cost the typical resident 6.2% of their monthly income — 52% less than locals in the average football city (9.4%). 

» Team valuation: $4 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 7-10, fourth in NFC South 🏈

8. Buffalo, New York

In addition to a lack of postseason success, Buffalo was also hurt by its game-day experience, with a stadium flung 9 miles from the city center — 53% farther away than the average NFL city’s stadium (5.9 miles). 

Ticket prices are also relatively pricey for locals. Buying four tickets to a home game would cost the average resident 10.8% of their monthly income, while fans in the average football city commit 9.4% of their income.  

Fortunately, Buffalo can continue to rehab its reputation on the gridiron in 2023 with six games scheduled for prime time — 50% more than the average city, which has four prime-time games scheduled. And with star QB Josh Allen on the field, we wouldn’t mind if all 17 games were in prime time.

» Team valuation: $3.4 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 13-3, eliminated in Divisional Round 🏈

9. Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville has yet to go national, at least according to broadcasters. The Titans have just two prime-time games scheduled for the upcoming season, half the average city’s number (four games). 

An annual report of NFL fandoms ranked Nashville 26th out of 32 teams heading into the 2023 season, based on ticket sales, branding, and social media presence. They did slightly better in our ranking, coming out as the 22nd-best NFL city. 

On the bright side, it’s easy for Titans fans to forget about any home losses, with 187 bars within a 1-mile radius of the stadium — more than double the average city’s tally (73). 

» Team valuation: $3.5 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 7-10, second in AFC South 🏈

10. Tampa, Florida

To put Tampa’s struggles in perspective, it has the fifth-lowest win tally of any city. The four cities with fewer wins (Houston, Jacksonville, Charlotte, and Baltimore) have been competing for an average of 26 years — 21 years less than the Bucs. 

Bucs tickets are notably unaffordable for locals. Based on the area’s average income, buying four tickets for a home game would cost 16.7% of the typical resident’s monthly income. In the average NFL city, those tickets would cost residents 9.4% of their monthly income. 

One thing Tampa has going for it, however, is its enthusiasm for football. The city scored a 73 out of 100 in our passion metric, based on the volume of Google searches for football-related terms. That includes ranking No. 2 nationally in searches for “sports bars near me.”

» Team valuation: $3.7 billion 💰

» 2022 finish: 8-9, eliminated in Wild Card Round 🏈

Which NFL Divisions Have the Best Football Cities? 

Fans in the NFC East don’t tend to agree on much, but they can all celebrate having the best football cities of any division. Unfortunately, cities in the AFC South dropped the ball on this one. 

1. NFC East (average ranking of 7.8)
2. NFC North (11.0)
3. AFC North (11.5)
4. AFC East (13.8)
5. AFC West (15.8)
6. NFC West (20.0)
7. NFC South (20.8)
8. AFC South (24.3)

Best NFL City Standings

AFC East — average ranking of 13.8	NFC East — average ranking of 7.8
Boston (No. 4)	Dallas (No. 3)
New York (No. 8)	Philadelphia (No. 6)
Miami (No. 20)	New York (No. 8)
Buffalo (No. 23)	Washington, D.C. (No. 14)
AFC North — average ranking of 11.5	NFC North — average ranking of 11
Pittsburgh (No. 1)	Green Bay (No. 2)
Cincinnati (No. 12)	Minneapolis (No. 10)
Cleveland (No. 15)	Chicago (No. 13)
Baltimore (No. 18)	Detroit (No. 19)
AFC South — average ranking of 24.3	NFC South — average ranking of 20.8
Indianapolis (No. 16)	New Orleans (No. 11)
Nashville (No. 22)	Tampa (No. 21)
Houston (No. 29)	Atlanta (No. 24)
Jacksonville (No. 30)	Charlotte (No. 27)
AFC West — average ranking of 15.8	NFC West — average ranking of 20.0
Denver (No. 5)	San Francisco (No. 9)
Kansas City (No. 7)	Seattle (No. 17)
Las Vegas (No. 25)	Los Angeles (No. 26)
Los Angeles (No. 26)	Phoenix (No. 28)

Best NFL Cities Rankings by Category

Methodology

Sources for this study include U.S. Census, Yelp, Google Trends, Google Maps, Forbes, ESPN, Wikipedia, Fandom Analytics, Statista, Sporting News, and TickPick.com.

Metrics use a variation of team, franchise, and city statistics.

• Historical win totals and playoff wins/appearances are based on franchise totals.
• Super Bowl metrics are based on wins/appearances for cities with active teams. If a team relocated, Super Bowl stats are attributed to the original city, rather than the new one. For example, the Raiders’ Super Bowl wins from Oakland are not counted since the team moved to Las Vegas.
• The longevity metric (i.e., beginning of current city occupation) requires a continuous presence in the city, so the Rams’ debut date is noted as 2016, excluding the team’s previous years in Los Angeles. Data on franchise length includes their AFL history if a team has continuously played in the city.
• For cities with two teams — New York and Los Angeles — relevant metrics were averaged with the exclusion of upcoming prime-time appearances, longevity, and fan base ranking. Prime-time appearances combine both teams’ scheduled games. The longevity data uses the debut date of whichever of the two teams has been in the city longer without interruption. Fan base rankings are based on whichever team placed higher in cities with two teams.

The metrics we used to rank the 30 current NFL cities are:

• 5x: Total historical regular-season wins (on a team franchise basis)
• 5x: Super Bowl wins (on a current city basis)
• 4x: Distance of stadium from city center
• 4x: Google Trends for football terms
• 4x: Fan base ranking from Emory University professor Mike Lewis
• 3x: Playoff appearances (on a team franchise basis)
• 3x: Average home game attendance (2022 season)
• 3x: Super Bowl appearances (on a current city basis)
• 3x: Beginning of current city occupation
• 2x: Stadium capacity
• 2x: Count of bars within a 1-mile radius of stadium
• 1x: Percentage of average local monthly income spent on four typical-priced home game tickets
• 1x: Upcoming prime-time appearances (2023 season)

Team financial valuations come from Forbes, although valuations weren’t used to determine a city’s ranking.

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Best NFL Cities