HRC’s 2025 Survey of Cities & Towns: More Places Than Ever Receive Highest Possible Equality Score Amidst Increasingly Hostile Anti-LGBTQ+ Environment

WASHINGTON – Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released the 14th edition of the Municipal Equality Index (MEI), the only comprehensive nationwide assessment of LGBTQ+ equality in the areas of municipal policies, laws and services. HRC is proud to partner with Salt Lake City, UT and Mayor Erin Mendenhall to launch the 2025 index. Salt Lake City scored ‘100,’ the highest possible, and demonstrated innovation in pushing back on restrictive state-level laws by adopting three official City flags representing LGBTQ+, trans, and Black communities.

The 2025 MEI shows a record breaking 132 cities scoring the highest possible marks on the index, representing a combined population of approximately 49 million people. This high-water mark is critical as pressure continues from states that pass laws and policies that seek to shut transgender people - particularly trans youth - out of public life. State legislatures have continued pushing laws that prevent transgender people from getting certain kinds of medically necessary health care, from accessing public accommodations like restrooms consistent with their gender identity, and many cities who have worked hard to ensure that transgender-inclusive health benefits are covered by their insurance plans are in many cases no longer able to provide that coverage in a meaningful way as a result of discriminatory decisions made by state legislators. That’s partly why, following seven years of national average score increases, 2025 saw a slight decrease to 70 points from 72 in 2024.

However, more cities than ever are doing what the MEI characterizes as “testing the limits of restrictive state laws” - pushing back against various checks on municipal power or discriminatory state laws - with nearly 70 cities doing so.  Salt Lake City was among these municipalities who found innovative ways to support equality in spite of a state legislature who has made it more difficult to do so. 

Key findings from the 2025 Municipal Equality Index, which scored 506 cities, include:

• This year, a record-breaking 132 cities or over 25 percent of all MEI-rated cities, earned the highest score of 100, which is up from 130 in 2024
  • Only 5 cities scored zero points.
• Across 21 states, 64 cities and towns earned over 85 points despite their state lacking non-discrimination statutes that explicitly protect sexual orientation and gender identity. In recognition of their efforts, the following localities earned the title of “All-Star City.” (A “*” below indicates the city earned all-star status for the first time this year)
  • Alabama: Birmingham
  • Alaska: Anchorage*, Juneau
  • Arizona: Chandler, Flagstaff, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe, Tucson
  • Georgia: Athens-Clarke County*, Atlanta, Decatur
  • Indiana: Bloomington, Evansville, Terre Haute
  • Iowa: Cedar Rapids*, Davenport*, Des Moines*, Dubuque*, Iowa City*
  • Kentucky: Covington*, Lexington*, Louisville*
  • Louisiana: New Orleans
  • Missouri: Columbia, Kansas City, St. Louis
  • Montana: Missoula
  • Nebraska: Omaha
  • North Carolina: Carrboro, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh*, Winston-Salem
  • Ohio: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Dublin, Lakewood, Toledo
  • Oklahoma: Norman
  • South Carolina: Myrtle Beach
  • South Dakota: Brookings, Vermillion
  • Texas: Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, San Antonio
  • Utah: Salt Lake City*
  • West Virginia: Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown
  • Wisconsin: Appleton*, Green Bay*, Madison*, Milwaukee*, Oshkosh*
  • Wyoming: Casper*, Laramie

Every year, the Municipal Equality Index scores the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the United States, the five largest cities or municipalities in each state, the cities home to the state’s two largest public universities, 75 cities and municipalities that have high proportions of same-sex couples, and 98 cities selected by HRC state groups, members, and supporters.

The rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric at every level of government has created a chilling effect in cities across the country. Many cities have lost points that they have historically received due to state actions and threats from the federal government to suspend funding if engaged in “DEI” work. This impact can be seen in the lower national score average of 70, lower scores in almost every regional score average, and lower state averages in 75 percent of states. Even though local leaders continue to pave the way forward for equality, there remains an unacceptable patchwork of laws for LGBTQ+ people across the country. This reinforces the need for the federal Equality Act - one of HRC’s top legislative priorities - that would provide consistent and explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.

The full 2025 MEI report, including detailed scorecards for every city and a searchable score database, is available online at www.hrc.org/mei.