With attacks ranging from passport restrictions and arts censorship to healthcare limitations, LGBTQ+ communities no longer experience the same level of safety when traveling through the U.S.

Enter misterb&b Queer Safety Index (QSI), a yearly listing created by misterb&b, the world’s largest community of LGBTQ+ hosts and hotels, and gay traveler reviews. 

To compile this index, misterb&b’s data scientists looked at what cities and places are the most booked, and safest for LGBTQ people, and predict these will be the 30 safest cities for US LGBTQ+ folks this year. 

The Safest Cities for LGBTQ Travelers in 2025 
(What’s in parenthesis is the city’s weighted composite safety score)

#1. Chicago,  Illinois  (0.925818)
#2. Seattle, Washington (0.8820167396811622)
#3. San Francisco, California (0.859765)
#4. Portland, Oregon (0.828624)
#5 San Diego, California (0.819190)
#6. Honolulu, Hawaii (0.805810)
#7. Denver, Colorado (0.803871)
#8. Albuquerque, New Mexico (0.801627)
#9. Las Vegas, Nevada (0.794831)
#10. Providence, Rhode Island (0.788671)
#11. Cathedral City, California (0.785347)
#12. Palm Springs, California (0.782136)
#13. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (0.776131)
#14. New York, New York (0.75)
#15. Washington, Washington DC (0.737)
#16. Los Angeles, California (0.728369)
#17. Atlanta, Georgia (0.712163)
#18. Tampa, Florida (0.699735)
#19. Wilton Manors, Florida (0.626081)
#20. Oakland Park, Florida (0.626081)
#21. Orlando, Florida (0.624527)
#22. Miami, Florida (0.622352)
#23. Fort Lauderdale, Florida (0.619867)
#24. Salt Lake City, Utah (0.584884)
#25. Indianapolis, Indiana (0.574057)
#26. Phoenix, Arizona (0.539445)
#27. Nashville, Tennessee (0.529054)
#28. Dallas, Texas (0.368089
#29. Houston, Texas (0.338946)
#30. Austin, Texas (0.338738)

METHODOLOGY:

The misterb&b Queer Safety Index (QSI) ranks cities using a weighted model that includes most booked cities on misterb&b, state policies (MAP Overall Policy Tally), local protections (HRC MEI), legislative risks (ACLU Anti-LGBTQ Bills), community support (PFLAG presence), and safety indicators (FBI-reported overall hate crimes). Each factor is normalized and weighted, with higher scores indicating greater LGBTQ+ safety and inclusivity.

Founder Matthieu Jost built the community after experiencing homophobia and harassment at a room rental when he vacationed in Spain with his partner.