Economy

This Is the Best American City for Introverts

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 17, 2022 7:30 am

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines introvert as “a typically reserved or quiet person who tends to be introspective and enjoys spending time alone.”

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be designed for introverts. Many people find themselves cut off from day-to-day activities with others. Despite drop-offs in infections, the virus has returned again and again in slightly different forms. The world has become designed for people who have to spend hours tucked away in their homes, part of a culture of streaming video and delivery services.

When online bingo site MrQ recently released its list of the best cities for introverts, among the measures used were population density, the number of remote jobs, cost of an apartment and the numbers of walking trails, parks, libraries and theaters. The population density yardstick seems an odd one since some of the metros are densely populated. That would seem to be a better environment for extroverts. As for the other measures chosen, they seem to make sense.

New York, one of the most crowded cities in America, topped the list of best cities for introverts. It was followed by Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city by population, then Houston, Las Vegas, Dallas, Los Angeles and Washington. There was no concentration of metros based on geography.

Where the next few years will favor introverts remains up in the air. Some experts believe that COVID-19 has reached an endemic stage. Like the flu, it will never go away. However, public health work will keep infections relatively low and less deadly than has been the case since March 2020. Alternatively, variants and too-low levels of vaccinations may shut down businesses and places where people gather socially for a long, long time.

These are the 15 best U.S. cities for introverts:

Click here to see how many people have died of COVID-19 in each state.