The best music cities in the U.S.?

Nashville, Tenn is the clear the winner according to recent data. It’s the music capital of the U.S., ranking No. 1. Nashville also tops the charts as the best city for working musicians. Career performers can expect to earn an average of $28.81 hourly. Cities following Nashville include Indianapolis, Portland, Austin, Louisville, and Texas.

The worse cities? Miami and Las Vegas

The metrics used for the study were working musicians, affordable shows, and the amount of shows booked. The top 15 cities have an average of 39 professional musicians per capita. The top 15 cities have an average of 3.86 small concert venues per capita versus 2.90 venues per capita in the average city. The top 15 cities consistently come out on top for Google Trends and music searches for all genres and rank 11% higher across every genre than the average city