City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Los Angeles vs New York City
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New York City leads 2–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Los Angeles is the city of stars on the pavement; New York City is the island of arrivals.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Los Angeles | New York City | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 52 | 369 | New York City |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 290 | 291 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 99 | New York City |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 73 | 75 | tie |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 24 | 20 | Los Angeles |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | — | 2 | New York City |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Los Angeles in orange, New York City in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Los AngelesNew York City
18 places
arts & culture122 places
9 places
parks & leisure57 places
9 places
legends & myths41 places
6 places
industry & modern era40 places
Los Angeles scorecard →
The city of stars on the pavement
New York City scorecard →
The island of arrivals