City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
New York City vs Washington D.C.
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New York City leads 4–1 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: New York City is the island of arrivals; Washington D.C. is the planned capital.
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| What we measure | New York City | Washington D.C. | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 369 | 63 | New York City |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 291 | 344 | New York City |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 99 | 12 | New York City |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 75 | 33 | New York City |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 20 | 25 | Washington D.C. |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 2 | tie |
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: New York City in orange, Washington D.C. in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
New York CityWashington D.C.
122 places
arts & culture25 places
57 places
parks & leisure8 places
41 places
legends & myths9 places
40 places
industry & modern era5 places
New York City scorecard →
The island of arrivals
Washington D.C. scorecard →
The planned capital