Los Angeles ranks second nationally for vegans and vegetarians, driven by affordable eateries and abundant produce options

WalletHub’s 2026 study places Los Angeles, California, as the nation’s #2 city for vegans and vegetarians, citing high restaurant ratings, strong produce access, and rising plant-based consumption.

A new WalletHub report released in September 2026 crowns Los Angeles the second-best city in the United States for vegans and vegetarians. The ranking, which evaluates the 100 largest U.S. cities across 17 indicators of affordability, diversity, accessibility and lifestyle, gives L.A. an overall score of 57.02 and a vegetarian-lifestyle rank of 4.

The data reflects a city where residents order plant-based meals 187% more often than the national average and where affordable, highly rated vegan and vegetarian restaurants are the second-most plentiful in the country. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the overall food index up 2.7% year-over-year, while meat prices have risen faster than fruits and vegetables, making plant-based meals an increasingly attractive budget option.

WalletHub’s methodology assigns equal weight to three pillars: affordability, diversity & accessibility, and vegetarian lifestyle. Los Angeles scores 34th in affordability, 25th in diversity, and 4th in lifestyle, producing a composite score of 57.02 that lands it just behind Portland, Oregon. The city’s strength lies in the “affordable restaurants with 4.5-star ratings” metric, where it ranks second nationwide, and in the “vegetarian lifestyle” metric, where it is fourth overall.

Specific sub-rankings illustrate where L.A. shines and where it lags. The city is 21st for farmers markets and CSA programs per capita, 31st for juice and smoothie bars, 34th for salad shops, and 16th for vegetable nurseries. These figures come directly from the WalletHub report, which pulls data from sources such as Yelp, Grubhub and USDA databases. The combination of a robust market for fresh produce and a dense network of highly rated plant-based eateries creates a fertile environment for vegans and vegetarians.

The report also notes that Los Angeles hosts 11th-most vegetarian cooking classes and 14th-most vegan meetups per capita, and it is home to annual events like the Vegandale Festival and Vegan Street Fair. These community-focused activities reinforce the city’s high “vegetarian lifestyle” score and provide social hubs for people transitioning to or maintaining a plant-based diet.

Beyond rankings, the data points to concrete ways residents can make the most of L.A.’s plant-based momentum. The Los Angeles Community Garden Council lists more than 40 community gardens across neighborhoods, from Echo Park to East Hollywood, serving over 2,000 members. These gardens supply fresh, inexpensive produce that can offset the modest rise in the overall food index (up 2.7% year-over-year, per the BLS) and help keep grocery bills low for vegans and vegetarians.

The city’s restaurant scene, highlighted by Eater Los Angeles, offers a spectrum of options ranging from vegan Vietnamese dim sum at Men and Beasts to fully vegetarian tasting menus. With the “affordable restaurants” metric ranking L.A. second, diners can enjoy high-quality plant-based meals without breaking the bank, a crucial advantage as meat prices outpace fruit and vegetable inflation.

Finally, the rise in plant-based consumption, Angelenos order such meals 187% more often than the U.S. average, creates market pressure for more grocery-store options, cooking classes, and meetups. Residents looking to transition on a budget can tap into community-garden shares, attend the city’s numerous vegan festivals, and explore the growing list of highly rated vegan eateries, all of which are supported by the data in WalletHub’s report.

Los Angeles’ #2 spot underscores how the city’s dense network of affordable, highly rated vegan eateries and abundant community gardens make plant-based living both accessible and economical, a crucial advantage as meat prices outpace produce. For locals, the data translates into real-world choices: shop at neighborhood gardens, attend cooking classes, and support the thriving vegan restaurant scene that keeps L.A. at the forefront of the national plant-based movement.