San Diego has been named the friendliest city in the United States for customer service, according to a recent survey by business insurance firm Money Super Market. The study analyzed over 100,000 online reviews from 107 cities worldwide to assess staff friendliness in the hospitality and service industries.
Methodology for Friendliness Ranking
The firm examined Google Maps reviews for restaurants, bars, attractions, and other points of interest. For each city, 30 to 50 diverse locations were selected, and approximately 1,000 online reviews per city were analyzed for mentions of staff and service friendliness. The percentage of these positive mentions determined the final ranking.
U.S. City Rankings
San Diego achieved the top spot in the U.S. with 51.5% of its reviews highlighting friendly staff. Money Super Market attributed this to the city's cultural diversity, favorable climate, and a generally relaxed atmosphere. San Diego, along with Phoenix, were the only two U.S. cities to break into the global top 20 for customer service.
Phoenix secured the second position nationally with 50.9% of reviews indicating friendly service, which the firm linked to a local emphasis on building trust and personal relationships before business transactions. Dallas placed third with 49.6%, a score attributed to "Southern hospitality" and a strong focus on community values.
Other U.S. cities rounding out the top five included New York City at 48.3% and Atlanta at 47.1%. The survey also listed Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Houston, Austin, and Boston among the top 10 friendliest cities in the nation.
Global Perspective
While U.S. cities performed well domestically, only San Diego and Phoenix made it into the overall global top 20. The international ranking saw a strong showing from the United Kingdom, with four cities in the top 10. Edinburgh, Scotland, led the global list with 59% of reviews mentioning friendly staff, followed by Hanoi, Vietnam, and Liverpool, UK. Paris, France, and Dublin, Ireland, also featured in the top five internationally.