We pride ourselves on asking the important questions here at MoveHub. In this day and age there’s no time for frivolity. Serious times demand serious questions, and ours was, “What’s the most hipster city in the world?” Our pretentious brethren deserve attention. It’s all they really want. So we rolled up our plaid sleeves and worked out exactly where to find them.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

The study

We’ve done this before. Last year’s US-focused project is something we’re proud of, but it was clear our methods could be improved. Lessons learned and public feedback have allowed us to go back to the drawing board and refine the process.

Our new, improved, alternative Hipster Index combines five data points: the number of vegan eateries, coffee shops, tattoo studios, vintage boutiques, and record stores per 100,000 city residents. Combined and weighted they produce a Hipster Index score out of ten for each city. To prevent inflated numbers — and preserve our sanity — we excluded cities with populations below 150,000.

We looked at 446 cities across 20 countries. That’s 2,834 record stores, 7,772 vegan eats, 14,588 tattoo studios, 15,549 vintage boutiques, and 93,203 coffee shops covering a combined population of over 200,000,000 people. Serious. Bloody. Business.

Check out the full results below.

RankCityCountryHipster Index Score
1Brighton and HoveUK8.1632
2PortlandUSA8.1631
3Salt Lake CityUSA7.8527
4SeattleUSA7.0290
5LisbonPortugal6.9437
6Fort LauderdaleUSA6.8577
7MiamiUSA6.8369
8OrlandoUSA6.8288
9HelsinkiFinland6.7052
10SpokaneUSA6.6950
11TampaUSA6.5927
12EugeneUSA6.5861
13MinneapolisUSA6.5308
14AtlantaUSA6.5172
15San FranciscoUSA6.4382
16RochesterUSA6.3603
17BordeauxFrance6.3405
18PittsburghUSA6.3077
19Las VegasUSA6.1864
20RichmondUSA6.1763
21OaklandUSA6.1724
22New OrleansUSA6.1399
23MalmoeSweden6.1213
24ZurichSwitzerland6.0157
25KnoxvilleUSA5.9856
26TampereFinland5.9472
27ManchesterUK5.9390
28Grand RapidsUSA5.9221
29TacomaUSA5.9159
30MadisonUSA5.8897
31OsloNorway5.8620
32EdinburghUK5.8367
33ProvidenceUSA5.7943
34St. LouisUSA5.7426
35SacramentoUSA5.7402
36ClevelandUSA5.7285
37VancouverUSA5.6882
38Kansas CityUSA5.6728
39SalemUSA5.6669
40BelfastUK5.6378
41Long BeachUSA5.6182
42GlasgowUK5.5759
43AmsterdamThe Netherlands5.5725
44PortoPortugal5.5468
45HonoluluUSA5.5380
46BristolUK5.5288
47BirminghamUSA5.4990
48Fort CollinsUSA5.4871
49ParisFrance5.4519
50St. PetersburgUSA5.4401
51Los AngelesUSA5.4331
52BoiseUSA5.4291
53CardiffUK5.4012
54TucsonUSA5.3994
55AustinUSA5.3879
56GeneveSwitzerland5.3678
57NottinghamUK5.3553
58YorkUK5.3406
59ChattanoogaUSA5.3272
60LilleFrance5.2410
61TurkuFinland5.1951
62LyonFrance5.1795
63OxfordUK5.1746
64CincinnatiUSA5.1694
65Des MoinesUSA5.1428
66NashvilleUSA5.1031
67Huntington BeachUSA5.1011
68BaltimoreUSA5.0631
69DenverUSA5.0556
70Gold CoastAustralia5.0349
71SpringfieldUSA5.0038
72DallasUSA4.9517
73RenoUSA4.9061
74TallahasseeUSA4.8773
75HollywoodUSA4.8662
76San DiegoUSA4.8626
77ScottsdaleUSA4.8290
78TempeUSA4.8138
79NewcastleUK4.8009
80BarcelonaSpain4.7998
81CopenhagenDenmark4.7838
82LeedsUK4.7780
83SwanseaUK4.7689
84MilwaukeeUSA4.7114
85BournemouthUK4.6633
86Little RockUSA4.6517
87BostonUSA4.6416
88VictoriaCanada4.6409
89ModestoUSA4.6276
90PhoenixUSA4.6223
91ChandlerUSA4.5991
92CairnsAustralia4.5646
93HaarlemThe Netherlands4.5609
94BuffaloUSA4.5391
95ToulouseFrance4.5350
96WashingtonUSA4.5284
97NorwichUK4.5124
98PragueCzech Republic4.5015
99StockholmSweden4.4802
100Port St. LucieUSA4.4683
101SheffieldUK4.4039
102Colorado SpringsUSA4.3975
103EindhovenThe Netherlands4.3918
104OsnabrückGermany4.3890
105LiverpoolUK4.3821
106PhiladelphiaUSA4.3635
107GoeteborgSweden4.3177
108ChicagoUSA4.3119
109OmahaUSA4.3116
110AkronUSA4.3053
111WorcesterUSA4.3000
112ArhusDenmark4.2992
113Baton RougeUSA4.2942
114KelownaCanada4.2845
115BaselSwitzerland4.2634
116AugustaUSA4.2568
117NorfolkUSA4.2562
118PortsmouthUK4.2519
119SouthendUK4.2386
120RaleighUSA4.2087
121Santa RosaUSA4.1957
122LakewoodUSA4.1905
123GranadaSpain4.1768
124SaarbrückenGermany4.1767
125AlbuquerqueUSA4.1644
126MilanItaly4.1586
127Cologne (Köln)Germany4.1462
128Santa Cruz de TenerifeSpain4.1397
129ValenciaSpain4.1341
130TulsaUSA4.1095
131IndianapolisUSA4.1075
132HeidelbergGermany4.0955
133Saint PaulUSA4.0820
134GrenobleFrance4.0640
135Virginia BeachUSA4.0623
136LinzAustria4.0486
137the HagueThe Netherlands4.0300
138HobartAustralia4.0076
139PooleUK4.0065
140Garden GroveUSA3.9969
141CharlotteUSA3.9871
142HuntsvilleUSA3.9803
143Fort WorthUSA3.9685
144SalzburgAustria3.9590
145New YorkUSA3.9585
146NantesFrance3.9529
147RennesFrance3.9508
148ToledoUSA3.9426
149LouisvilleUSA3.9203
150FrankfurtGermany3.9097
151BerlinGermany3.8976
152LincolnUSA3.8937
153Santa ClaritaUSA3.8929
154DurhamUSA3.8913
155HullUK3.8907
156Sioux FallsUSA3.8809
157ViennaAustria3.8777
158San JoseUSA3.8641
159CorkRepublic of Ireland3.8427
160GeelongAustralia3.8362
161SouthamptonUK3.8155
162HoustonUSA3.7852
163Fort WayneUSA3.7852
164LondonUK3.7832
165Kansas CityUSA3.7397
166SunderlandUK3.7356
167ArlingtonUSA3.7355
168TilburgThe Netherlands3.7115
169NiceFrance3.7092
170LiègeBelgium3.6958
171DetroitUSA3.6708
172FremontUSA3.6663
173MelbourneAustralia3.6428
174Munich (München)Germany3.6375
175San SebastianSpain3.6103
176Cape CoralUSA3.5990
177SevillaSpain3.5983
178FlorenceItaly3.5924
179KarlsruheGermany3.5918
180Oklahoma CityUSA3.5902
181KasselGermany3.5824
182KrefeldGermany3.5793
183NijmegenThe Netherlands3.5753
184DublinRepublic of Ireland3.5748
185LübeckGermany3.5645
186Milton KeynesUK3.5436
187MobileUSA3.5425
188St. CatharinesCanada3.5415
189AlicanteSpain3.5409
190Newport NewsUSA3.5405
191AberdeenUK3.5379
192OxnardUSA3.5371
193GrazAustria3.5307
194StuttgartGermany3.5286
195DüsseldorfGermany3.5236
196MontpellierFrance3.4962
197RotterdamThe Netherlands3.4947
198SpringfieldUSA3.4876
199VancouverCanada3.4813
200BraunschweigGermany3.4809
201GhentBelgium3.4780
202ReginaCanada3.4645
203GlendaleUSA3.4633
204DarmstadtGermany3.4630
205WichitaUSA3.4572
206ShreveportUSA3.4538
207FresnoUSA3.4348
208StrasbourgFrance3.4302
209MiddlesbroughUK3.4204
210PlymouthUK3.4183
211SantanderSpain3.4152
212Nuremberg (Nürnberg)Germany3.4149
213MünsterGermany3.4140
214GreensboroUSA3.4046
215HalifaxCanada3.4029
216AnchorageUSA3.3966
217LeicesterUK3.3698
218AntwerpBelgium3.3622
219BrusselsBelgium3.3501
220BolognaItaly3.3375
221WindsorCanada3.3342
222BergenNorway3.3302
223San AntonioUSA3.3013
224Winston–SalemUSA3.2793
225FayettevilleUSA3.2792
226GroningenThe Netherlands3.2589
227OshawaCanada3.2581
228CalgaryCanada3.2515
229MainzGermany3.2473
230AucklandNew Zealand3.2467
231Saint-ÉtienneFrance3.2396
232StocktonUSA3.2267
233AngersFrance3.2228
234Freiburg im BreisgauGermany3.2212
235AuroraUSA3.2143
236ToulonFrance3.2039
237ReadingUK3.1958
238LancasterUSA3.1782
239UtrechtThe Netherlands3.1744
240Sunshine CoastAustralia3.1743
241WolverhamptonUK3.1716
242JacksonvilleUSA3.1477
243KielGermany3.1462
244Gasteiz / VitoriaSpain3.1303
245Jersey CityUSA3.1274
246AdelaideAustralia3.1251
247JacksonUSA3.1006
248SunnyvaleUSA3.0841
249FriscoUSA3.0831
250MadridSpain3.0815
251PeterboroughUK3.0753
252BresciaItaly3.0705
253HannoverGermany3.0566
254GlendaleUSA3.0403
255EscondidoUSA3.0348
256BilbaoSpain3.0195
257LondonCanada3.0177
258SalamancaSpain3.0156
259CanberraAustralia3.0141
260Moreno ValleyUSA3.0038
261HialeahUSA2.9987
262PasadenaUSA2.9971
263DerbyUK2.9920
264Ludwigshafen am RheinGermany2.9795
265Castello de la PlanaSpain2.9668
266AachenGermany2.9443
267ArnhemThe Netherlands2.9402
268SolingenGermany2.9289
269NewarkUSA2.9200
270MarseilleFrance2.9134
271BarrieCanada2.9083
272PalmdaleUSA2.9012
273CoventryUK2.8936
274LexingtonUSA2.8902
275s-HertogenboschThe Netherlands2.8855
276KingstonCanada2.8829
277Corpus ChristiUSA2.8732
278KitchenerCanada2.8705
279WinnipegCanada2.8629
280BonnGermany2.8423
281OceansideUSA2.8285
282HamburgGermany2.8243
283StokeUK2.8171
284BakersfieldUSA2.8015
285MannheimGermany2.7891
286Rancho CucamongaUSA2.7887
287NîmesFrance2.7800
288MemphisUSA2.7740
289AmarilloUSA2.7541
290EssenGermany2.7426
291RiversideUSA2.7107
292SaskatoonCanada2.7078
293AlexandriaUSA2.7028
294IrvineUSA2.6959
295LogronoSpain2.6558
296SaguenayCanada2.6551
297ChristchurchNew Zealand2.6551
298DijonFrance2.6479
299WellingtonNew Zealand2.6376
300LeipzigGermany2.6309
301DresdenGermany2.6184
302NeussGermany2.6183
303VeronaItaly2.6144
304BremenGermany2.6110
305Halle (Saale)Germany2.6030
306PotsdamGermany2.6021
307HuddersfieldUK2.5986
308OttawaCanada2.5949
309ClarksvilleUSA2.5671
310LivornoItaly2.5598
311Le HavreFrance2.5459
312BradfordUK2.5437
313RomeItaly2.5384
314WarringtonUK2.5027
315AugsburgGermany2.4798
316EdmontonCanada2.4720
317HaywardUSA2.4652
318ApeldoomThe Netherlands2.4633
319A CorunaSpain2.4605
320SwindonUK2.4594
321MaconUSA2.4454
322EnschedeThe Netherlands2.4405
323NorthamptonUK2.4384
324PadovaItaly2.4340
325HamiltonCanada2.4191
326BredaThe Netherlands2.4085
327LeganesSpain2.4043
328Trois-RivièresCanada2.4026
329PamplonaSpain2.3884
330FuenlabradaSpain2.3777
331AuroraUSA2.3520
332LubbockUSA2.3391
333ColumbusUSA2.3386
334ModenaItaly2.3310
335AlbaceteSpain2.3231
336Greater Sudbury / Grand SudburyCanada2.3136
337NewcastleAustralia2.3036
338WiesbadenGermany2.2971
339TorontoCanada2.2870
340MönchengladbachGermany2.2468
341MontgomeryUSA2.2429
342SalinasUSA2.2422
343BochumGermany2.2354
344El PasoUSA2.2350
345San BernardinoUSA2.2328
346BrownsvilleUSA2.2208
347ValladolidSpain2.2152
348SydneyAustralia2.2118
349CaryUSA2.1941
350BariItaly2.1689
351SherbrookeCanada2.1572
352DortmundGermany2.1531
353AbbotsfordCanada2.1479
354OldenburgGermany2.1303
355GijonSpain2.1297
356ElcheSpain2.1291
357BrisbaneAustralia2.1014
358DuisburgGermany2.0782
359YonkersUSA2.0476
360MontréalCanada2.0408
361WuppertalGermany2.0396
362TerrassaSpain2.0368
363VigoSpain2.0256
364ReimsFrance2.0130
365MagdeburgGermany2.0126
366LaredoUSA2.0086
367MalagaSpain2.0024
368St. John'sCanada1.9943
369AlcorconSpain1.9689
370BielefeldGermany1.9674
371PomonaUSA1.9654
372HagenGermany1.9642
373FontanaUSA1.9498
374ErfurtGermany1.9344
375MesaUSA1.9169
376HamiltonNew Zealand1.9071
377Québec CityCanada1.8962
378ZaragozaSpain1.8827
379CoronaUSA1.8815
380WollongongAustralia1.8802
381BrnoCzech Republic1.8793
382TownsvilleAustralia1.8626
383OviedoSpain1.8618
384PeoriaUSA1.8520
385PlanoUSA1.8274
386SloughUK1.8238
387BurgosSpain1.8156
388TurinItaly1.8086
389Mülheim an der RuhrGermany1.8052
390AlmeriaSpain1.8039
391ColumbusUSA1.7766
392PalmaSpain1.7463
393HerneGermany1.7388
394NaplesItaly1.6861
395CordobaSpain1.6772
396OstravaCzech Republic1.6533
397TriesteItaly1.6361
398Elk GroveUSA1.6332
399RostockGermany1.6323
400TarantoItaly1.6281
401PilsenCzech Republic1.6239
402BirminghamUK1.6086
403Pembroke PinesUSA1.6065
404CharleroiBelgium1.6046
405EspooFinland1.5902
406GilbertUSA1.5879
407IrvingUSA1.5842
408PalermoItaly1.5589
409AnaheimUSA1.5583
410HendersonUSA1.5571
411Chula VistaUSA1.5419
412AmersfoortThe Netherlands1.5114
413PerthAustralia1.4936
414L'Hospitalet de LlobregatSpain1.4798
415BoltonUK1.4737
416McKinneyUSA1.4722
417VantaaFinland1.4468
418MostolesSpain1.3907
419Overland ParkUSA1.3876
420MurciaSpain1.3857
421LutonUK1.3809
422GetafeSpain1.3756
423SabadellSpain1.3662
424GarlandUSA1.3557
425ChemnitzGermany1.3543
426North Las VegasUSA1.3511
427HammGermany1.2722
428PratoItaly1.2280
429GenoaItaly1.2153
430ChesapeakeUSA1.1943
431OberhausenGermany1.1824
432AlmereThe Netherlands1.1419
433ZaanstadThe Netherlands1.1073
434OntarioUSA1.1053
435BadalonaSpain1.0619
436CataniaItaly1.0553
437Santa AnaUSA1.0187
438Jerez de la FronteraSpain1.0116
439Reggio CalabriaItaly0.9874
440LeverkusenGermany0.9526
441Alcala de HenaresSpain0.9351
442CartagenaSpain0.8535
443Grand PrairieUSA0.8060
444Las Palmas de Gran CanariaSpain0.7767
445MessinaItaly0.3080
446GelsenkirchenGermany0.2248

Put a gull on it

It’s absurd how close the top two were. You couldn’t make it up. In what is quite likely the greatest, most poetic showdown since the Thrilla in Manila, Brighton and Hove of the United Kingdom beat Portland, Oregon of the USA by one-thousandth of a point. Portland scored 8.1631, Brighton scored 8.1632. No really. Brighton is scientifically the most hipster city in the world. Just. Salt Lake City was third with 7.8527, while Seattle and Lisbon completed the top five with scores of 7.0290 and 6.9437 respectively.

The results will come as no great surprise to Brits. Fashionable, overpriced, and the only place in the country with a Green Party MP, Brighton and Hove has long been renowned for its hipster credentials. Think of it as Shoreditch-on-Sea. Or don’t. As you like. In fact, the top 20 suggests that most hipster strongholds are near the sea, presumably to make the swallow tattoos slightly less ridiculous.

Old World grooves

Vinyl records have been making a comeback in recent years, and Europe appears to be the beating heart of that revival. Brighton was the runaway winner in the category with 9.142 record stores per 100,000 people, followed by Bordeaux (5.747), Haarlem (5.631), Porto (5.608), and Minneapolis (5.077).

Europe also edges vintage boutiques. Portugal holds the top two spots, with Lisbon and Porto clocking in at 78.022 and 68.501 vintage/thrift stores per 100,000 people respectively. Oslo (47.401) and Helsinki (42.976) represent for the Nordic nations, while Florida made good on its oldness with three cities in the top ten — St. Petersburg, Miami, and Tampa. On balance, though, it makes sense for the Old World to be a little more vintage.

Although the USA does dominate the overall results, European cities more than hold their own. Brighton and Hove, Lisbon, Helsinki, and Bordeaux comfortably made the global top 20, with Malmö, Zurich, Tampere, Manchester, and Edinburgh all knocking on the door.

The French have their own name for hipsters: the bourgeois bohème, or bobos. Although Paris (5.4519, 49th) loses out to Bordeaux (6.3405, 17th) for the title of France’s bobo capital, Paris is the highest performing city with a population above 1 million. More on this later.

Land of the dairy-free

Unsurprisingly, the American Northwest excelled. Portland confirmed its status as the hipster king of North American. It was joined by Seattle (7.0290, 4th), Spokane (6.6950, 10th), Eugene (6.5861, 12th), and San Francisco (6.4382, 15th) at the top of the rankings, with all five cities doing particularly well on vegan eats density.

Salt Lake City (7.8527, 3rd) almost clinched the top spot in our US study last year, so it’s no surprise to see it get close again. The nation is waking up to its hipster stature. The Utah capital excels in every category, probably providing the second most ‘complete’ hipster experience after Portland.

It may surprise some people to learn that Canada is not particularly hipster. Too dignified, probably. The hipster capital of Canada proved to be Victoria (4.6409, 88th), which was competitive on vegan eats and record stores, but let down by its shoddy tattoo studio game.

The kings of coffee

Australasia did not do well overall, but it absolutely bossed coffee. Gold Coast, Geelong, and Melbourne finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th for coffee shop density with 140.262, 128.383, and 119.569 coffee shops per 100,000 people respectively. Brighton (125.381) and Portland (118.307) filled out the rest of the top five, naturally.

The coffee in Australia is world renowned. Starbucks had to close over 70% of its Australian stores back in 2008 because they simply couldn’t compete with the quality of local coffee-makers. Record stores and vintage boutiques are where the Aussies fall short, but if neither of those factors are important to you then there’s plenty on offer down under. Awaiting you is fresh coffee, vegan buns, golden sands, and aboriginal tattoos from artists who secretly hold you in contempt.

Inked

Speaking of tattoos, the US crushed tattoo studios. The top 22 cities for tattoos are all in the States. Las Vegas, the home of regret, topped the lot with 29.388 studios per 100,000 people. Tattoos are a billion-dollar industry in the States. 40% of Americans between 26 and 40 are inked. Won’t be long until the people without tattoos are the nonconformists. Eyes on the prize.

Go niche or go home

It’s more difficult for large cities to perform well in the Hipster Index. That was apparent last year and it’s been the case again here. Not a single city in the top 40 had a population above one million. Places like London, New York, and Berlin are rightly renowned for their hipster neighbourhoods, but you can only compensate for so many squares.

As mentioned above, Paris is the top million+ city, closely followed by Los Angeles (5.4331, 51st). Dallas (4.9517, 72nd), San Diego (4.8628, 76th), and Barcelona (4.7998, 80th) do respectably, but the lesson is clear — if cities want to be a true hipster paradise, they need to go niche or go home.

We’ve run out of puns

So there you have it, folks. The final word on the hipster capitals of the world, at least until we do this again. If you’re interested in the hipster specifics of a city, please do get in touch or leave a comment below. Suggestions and feedback are always welcome. If we do this again we’ll want it to be even better, so let us know how.  

Until then, we hope this proves useful, or at least interesting. There is now a scientific metric for hipsterness, and we have a point of reference for most of the western world. Avoid or congregate as you see fit.

All flaws in the Hipster Index are ironic and actually really clever