Conditions TodayMaps

Best US cities for stargazing

All 500 largest US cities, ranked by estimated night-sky darkness.

City lights are the single biggest thing standing between you and the Milky Way. To rank these cities we estimate each one’s skyglow from the population of every US community within 150 km, with closer and larger places contributing more (an inverse-square falloff). That means a small city inside a big metro area ranks worse than the same-size city standing alone. A higher darkness index means a darker sky.

This ranking measures light pollution only — cloud cover and weather change nightly. Each city links to its live stargazing forecast for tonight. Method details are on our methodology page.

The 25 darkest-sky large cities

  1. 1
    Rapid City, SD
    pop. 73,569
    100
    darkness
  2. 2
    Bismarck, ND
    pop. 75,092
    99
    darkness
  3. 3
    Albany, GA
    pop. 74,843
    98
    darkness
  4. 4
    Saint George, UT
    pop. 72,897
    97
    darkness
  5. 5
    Lake Charles, LA
    pop. 76,070
    97
    darkness
  6. 6
    Jonesboro, AR
    pop. 73,907
    97
    darkness
  7. 7
    Decatur, IL
    pop. 73,254
    96
    darkness
  8. 8
    Bend, OR
    pop. 87,014
    96
    darkness
  9. 9
    Lynchburg, VA
    pop. 79,812
    96
    darkness
  10. 10
    Medford, OR
    pop. 79,805
    96
    darkness
  11. 11
    Duluth, MN
    pop. 86,110
    96
    darkness
  12. 12
    Warner Robins, GA
    pop. 73,490
    95
    darkness
  13. 13
    Longview, TX
    pop. 82,287
    95
    darkness
  14. 14
    Santa Fe, NM
    pop. 87,505
    95
    darkness
  15. 15
    Gulfport, MS
    pop. 71,856
    95
    darkness
  16. 16
    Redding, CA
    pop. 91,582
    95
    darkness
  17. 17
    Sioux City, IA
    pop. 82,821
    95
    darkness
  18. 18
    San Angelo, TX
    pop. 99,893
    94
    darkness
  19. 19
    Iowa City, IA
    pop. 74,220
    94
    darkness
  20. 20
    Yuma, AZ
    pop. 95,548
    94
    darkness
  21. 21
    Yakima, WA
    pop. 93,701
    94
    darkness
  22. 22
    Saint Joseph, MO
    pop. 76,780
    94
    darkness
  23. 23
    Fort Smith, AR
    pop. 88,194
    93
    darkness
  24. 24
    Bellingham, WA
    pop. 85,146
    93
    darkness
  25. 25
    Lawton, OK
    pop. 96,655
    93
    darkness

The rest of the ranking

#26–#500, darkest to brightest. The bottom of this list is dominated by cities inside large metro areas, where skyglow from the whole region — not just the city itself — brightens the sky.

  1. 26. Temple, TX
  2. 27. Wichita Falls, TX
  3. 28. Erie, PA
  4. 29. Macon, GA
  5. 30. Greenville, NC
  6. 31. Asheville, NC
  7. 32. Kalamazoo, MI
  8. 33. Bloomington, IN
  9. 34. Fayetteville, AR
  10. 35. Billings, MT
  11. 36. Las Cruces, NM
  12. 37. Palm Coast, FL
  13. 38. Tyler, TX
  14. 39. Pueblo, CO
  15. 40. Appleton, WI
  16. 41. Odessa, TX
  17. 42. Roanoke, VA
  18. 43. Kennewick, WA
  19. 44. Lehigh Acres, FL
  20. 45. Springdale, AR
  21. 46. Lafayette, IN
  22. 47. Bloomington, IL
  23. 48. Wilmington, NC
  24. 49. Santa Maria, CA
  25. 50. Abilene, TX
  26. 51. Tuscaloosa, AL
  27. 52. Mission, TX
  28. 53. Homestead, FL
  29. 54. Evansville, IN
  30. 55. Champaign, IL
  31. 56. Green Bay, WI
  32. 57. Springfield, IL
  33. 58. Mount Pleasant, SC
  34. 59. Rochester, MN
  35. 60. Scranton, PA
  36. 61. Rock Hill, SC
  37. 62. Columbia, MO
  38. 63. Daytona Beach, FL
  39. 64. Midland, TX
  40. 65. Nampa, ID
  41. 66. Merced, CA
  42. 67. Chico, CA
  43. 68. Fargo, ND
  44. 69. Edinburg, TX
  45. 70. Lafayette, LA
  46. 71. Ogden, UT
  47. 72. Topeka, KS
  48. 73. Lawrence, KS
  49. 74. Spring Hill, FL
  50. 75. Bryan, TX
  51. 76. Pharr, TX
  52. 77. Athens, GA
  53. 78. Beaumont, TX
  54. 79. Gastonia, NC
  55. 80. Loveland, CO
  56. 81. Wyoming, MI
  57. 82. Canton, OH
  58. 83. Peoria, IL
  59. 84. Santa Barbara, CA
  60. 85. Cedar Rapids, IA
  61. 86. Franklin, TN
  62. 87. Savannah, GA
  63. 88. Fort Myers, FL
  64. 89. Layton, UT
  65. 90. Flint, MI
  66. 91. Gainesville, FL
  67. 92. Albany, NY
  68. 93. College Station, TX
  69. 94. Deltona, FL
  70. 95. Melbourne, FL
  71. 96. Columbia, SC
  72. 97. Waco, TX
  73. 98. North Charleston, SC
  74. 99. Davenport, IA
  75. 100. Lakeland, FL
  76. 101. Edmond, OK
  77. 102. Killeen, TX
  78. 103. Sioux Falls, SD
  79. 104. Meridian, ID
  80. 105. Syracuse, NY
  81. 106. Greeley, CO
  82. 107. Norman, OK
  83. 108. Suffolk, VA
  84. 109. Springfield, MO
  85. 110. Visalia, CA
  86. 111. Lansing, MI
  87. 112. South Bend, IN
  88. 113. Jackson, MS
  89. 114. Indio, CA
  90. 115. Charleston, SC
  91. 116. Palm Bay, FL
  92. 117. Clarksville, TN
  93. 118. Boynton Beach, FL
  94. 119. Reading, PA
  95. 120. Turlock, CA
  96. 121. Concord, NC
  97. 122. Brownsville, TX
  98. 123. Amarillo, TX
  99. 124. Mobile, AL
  100. 125. Longmont, CO
  101. 126. Dayton, OH
  102. 127. Port Saint Lucie, FL
  103. 128. Chattanooga, TN
  104. 129. High Point, NC
  105. 130. Knoxville, TN
  106. 131. Tallahassee, FL
  107. 132. West Palm Beach, FL
  108. 133. Provo, UT
  109. 134. Murfreesboro, TN
  110. 135. Montgomery, AL
  111. 136. San Tan Valley, AZ
  112. 137. Eugene, OR
  113. 138. Orem, UT
  114. 139. Fort Collins, CO
  115. 140. Shreveport, LA
  116. 141. Brandon, FL
  117. 142. Napa, CA
  118. 143. Sparks, NV
  119. 144. Fishers, IN
  120. 145. Ann Arbor, MI
  121. 146. Racine, WI
  122. 147. Roswell, GA
  123. 148. Cape Coral, FL
  124. 149. Everett, WA
  125. 150. Rochester, NY
  126. 151. Boulder, CO
  127. 152. Birmingham, AL
  128. 153. Ventura, CA
  129. 154. Largo, FL
  130. 155. Columbus, GA
  131. 156. Salinas, CA
  132. 157. Huntsville, AL
  133. 158. Fayetteville, NC
  134. 159. Spokane, WA
  135. 160. Salem, OR
  136. 161. Grand Rapids, MI
  137. 162. Waukesha, WI
  138. 163. Carmel, IN
  139. 164. New Bedford, MA
  140. 165. Rockford, IL
  141. 166. Portsmouth, VA
  142. 167. Baton Rouge, LA
  143. 168. Lubbock, TX
  144. 169. Laredo, TX
  145. 170. Clovis, CA
  146. 171. Manchester, NH
  147. 172. Boca Raton, FL
  148. 173. Gresham, OR
  149. 174. Olathe, KS
  150. 175. Hillsboro, OR
  151. 176. Richmond, VA
  152. 177. Centreville, VA
  153. 178. Little Rock, AR
  154. 179. Apple Valley, CA
  155. 180. West Jordan, UT
  156. 181. Clearwater, FL
  157. 182. Independence, MO
  158. 183. Broken Arrow, OK
  159. 184. Baytown, TX
  160. 185. Waterford, MI
  161. 186. Manteca, CA
  162. 187. Sandy, UT
  163. 188. Deerfield Beach, FL
  164. 189. Boise, ID
  165. 190. Round Rock, TX
  166. 191. Hampton, VA
  167. 192. Kenosha, WI
  168. 193. Tracy, CA
  169. 194. Des Moines, IA
  170. 195. Vacaville, CA
  171. 196. Santa Rosa, CA
  172. 197. Metairie, LA
  173. 198. Fort Wayne, IN
  174. 199. Buffalo, NY
  175. 200. Anchorage, AK
  176. 201. Missouri City, TX
  177. 202. West Valley City, UT
  178. 203. Rio Rancho, NM
  179. 204. Coral Springs, FL
  180. 205. Winston-Salem, NC
  181. 206. Lincoln, NE
  182. 207. Newport News, VA
  183. 208. League City, TX
  184. 209. Akron, OH
  185. 210. Folsom, CA
  186. 211. Sugar Land, TX
  187. 212. Denton, TX
  188. 213. Reno, NV
  189. 214. Plantation, FL
  190. 215. Fall River, MA
  191. 216. Fairfield, CA
  192. 217. Beaverton, OR
  193. 218. Nashua, NH
  194. 219. Corpus Christi, TX
  195. 220. Cary, NC
  196. 221. Auburn, WA
  197. 222. Madison, WI
  198. 223. Troy, MI
  199. 224. Pompano Beach, FL
  200. 225. Germantown, MD
  201. 226. Cypress, TX
  202. 227. Salt Lake City, UT
  203. 228. Durham, NC
  204. 229. Pembroke Pines, FL
  205. 230. Alief, TX
  206. 231. Toledo, OH
  207. 232. Federal Way, WA
  208. 233. Canton, MI
  209. 234. Bethlehem, PA
  210. 235. Hemet, CA
  211. 236. Lexington, KY
  212. 237. Greensboro, NC
  213. 238. Hesperia, CA
  214. 239. Goodyear, AZ
  215. 240. Warwick, RI
  216. 241. Allentown, PA
  217. 242. Kent, WA
  218. 243. Modesto, CA
  219. 244. Hollywood, FL
  220. 245. Elk Grove, CA
  221. 246. Henderson, NV
  222. 247. Renton, WA
  223. 248. Vancouver, WA
  224. 249. Frisco, TX
  225. 250. Pittsburgh, PA
  226. 251. Vallejo, CA
  227. 252. Miami Gardens, FL
  228. 253. Chesapeake, VA
  229. 254. Waukegan, IL
  230. 255. Victorville, CA
  231. 256. Gary, IN
  232. 257. El Cajon, CA
  233. 258. Springfield, MA
  234. 259. Lancaster, CA
  235. 260. Miami Beach, FL
  236. 261. Tacoma, WA
  237. 262. Cincinnati, OH
  238. 263. Honolulu, HI
  239. 264. Southfield, MI
  240. 265. Temecula, CA
  241. 266. Pearland, TX
  242. 267. Fort Lauderdale, FL
  243. 268. Clinton Township, MI
  244. 269. Antioch, CA
  245. 270. Arvada, CO
  246. 271. Hartford, CT
  247. 272. Roseville, CA
  248. 273. Avondale, AZ
  249. 274. New Britain, CT
  250. 275. Oxnard, CA
  251. 276. Citrus Heights, CA
  252. 277. Escondido, CA
  253. 278. Columbia, MD
  254. 279. Flower Mound, TX
  255. 280. San Marcos, CA
  256. 281. Bakersfield, CA
  257. 282. Wichita, KS
  258. 283. Livermore, CA
  259. 284. Allen, TX
  260. 285. Westland, MI
  261. 286. Waterbury, CT
  262. 287. Vista, CA
  263. 288. Overland Park, KS
  264. 289. Menifee, CA
  265. 290. Thornton, CO
  266. 291. Lawrence, MA
  267. 292. Sterling Heights, MI
  268. 293. Surprise, AZ
  269. 294. Westminster, CO
  270. 295. Kirkland, WA
  271. 296. Norfolk, VA
  272. 297. Orlando, FL
  273. 298. Livonia, MI
  274. 299. Toms River, NJ
  275. 300. Cranston, RI
  276. 301. Worcester, MA
  277. 302. Carlsbad, CA
  278. 303. Saint Paul, MN
  279. 304. Joliet, IL
  280. 305. New Orleans, LA
  281. 306. Brockton, MA
  282. 307. Danbury, CT
  283. 308. Murrieta, CA
  284. 309. Lewisville, TX
  285. 310. Lowell, MA
  286. 311. Pawtucket, RI
  287. 312. Oceanside, CA
  288. 313. Brick, NJ
  289. 314. Stockton, CA
  290. 315. Hialeah, FL
  291. 316. Cleveland, OH
  292. 317. Tulsa, OK
  293. 318. Warren, MI
  294. 319. Colorado Springs, CO
  295. 320. Redwood City, CA
  296. 321. Thousand Oaks, CA
  297. 322. Elgin, IL
  298. 323. San Ramon, CA
  299. 324. Concord, CA
  300. 325. Perris, CA
  301. 326. Silver Spring, MD
  302. 327. Dearborn, MI
  303. 328. New Haven, CT
  304. 329. Simi Valley, CA
  305. 330. Tampa, FL
  306. 331. Bellevue, WA
  307. 332. San Mateo, CA
  308. 333. Hammond, IN
  309. 334. Trenton, NJ
  310. 335. Providence, RI
  311. 336. Pleasanton, CA
  312. 337. Mesquite, TX
  313. 338. Omaha, NE
  314. 339. Richmond, CA
  315. 340. Minneapolis, MN
  316. 341. Bolingbrook, IL
  317. 342. Tucson, AZ
  318. 343. Kansas City, KS
  319. 344. North Las Vegas, NV
  320. 345. Raleigh, NC
  321. 346. Palmdale, CA
  322. 347. Alexandria, VA
  323. 348. Aurora, IL
  324. 349. Virginia Beach, VA
  325. 350. Carrollton, TX
  326. 351. Mountain View, CA
  327. 352. Richardson, TX
  328. 353. Pasadena, TX
  329. 354. Union City, CA
  330. 355. Moreno Valley, CA
  331. 356. Fresno, CA
  332. 357. Peoria, AZ
  333. 358. Albuquerque, NM
  334. 359. Valencia, CA
  335. 360. Hayward, CA
  336. 361. Bridgeport, CT
  337. 362. Milpitas, CA
  338. 363. Atlanta, GA
  339. 364. Lynn, MA
  340. 365. Plano, TX
  341. 366. Daly City, CA
  342. 367. Naperville, IL
  343. 368. Garland, TX
  344. 369. Schaumburg, IL
  345. 370. Arlington Heights, IL
  346. 371. San Leandro, CA
  347. 372. Grand Prairie, TX
  348. 373. Santa Clarita, CA
  349. 374. Miami, FL
  350. 375. Rialto, CA
  351. 376. Louisville, KY
  352. 377. Quincy, MA
  353. 378. Memphis, TN
  354. 379. San Bernardino, CA
  355. 380. Milwaukee, WI
  356. 381. Berkeley, CA
  357. 382. Norwalk, CT
  358. 383. Kansas City, MO
  359. 384. Fremont, CA
  360. 385. El Paso, TX
  361. 386. Mission Viejo, CA
  362. 387. Gilbert, AZ
  363. 388. Scottsdale, AZ
  364. 389. Sunnyvale, CA
  365. 390. Chula Vista, CA
  366. 391. Arlington, VA
  367. 392. Evanston, IL
  368. 393. Arlington, TX
  369. 394. Oklahoma City, OK
  370. 395. Sacramento, CA
  371. 396. Sylmar, CA
  372. 397. Nashville, TN
  373. 398. Chandler, AZ
  374. 399. Lake Forest, CA
  375. 400. Glendale, AZ
  376. 401. Upland, CA
  377. 402. Alameda, CA
  378. 403. Fontana, CA
  379. 404. Corona, CA
  380. 405. Rancho Cucamonga, CA
  381. 406. Portland, OR
  382. 407. Las Vegas, NV
  383. 408. Tempe, AZ
  384. 409. Chino, CA
  385. 410. Baltimore, MD
  386. 411. Riverside, CA
  387. 412. Stamford, CT
  388. 413. Newport Beach, CA
  389. 414. Santa Clara, CA
  390. 415. Camden, NJ
  391. 416. Detroit, MI
  392. 417. Ontario, CA
  393. 418. Mesa, AZ
  394. 419. Newton, MA
  395. 420. Oakland, CA
  396. 421. Dorchester, MA
  397. 422. Chino Hills, CA
  398. 423. Indianapolis, IN
  399. 424. Seattle, WA
  400. 425. Charlotte, NC
  401. 426. Columbus, OH
  402. 427. Pomona, CA
  403. 428. Santa Monica, CA
  404. 429. Cicero, IL
  405. 430. Costa Mesa, CA
  406. 431. Jacksonville, FL
  407. 432. Washington, DC
  408. 433. Van Nuys, CA
  409. 434. Austin, TX
  410. 435. Aurora, CO
  411. 436. San Pedro, CA
  412. 437. Irvine, CA
  413. 438. Cambridge, MA
  414. 439. Somerville, MA
  415. 440. Denver, CO
  416. 441. Edison, NJ
  417. 442. Tustin, CA
  418. 443. Baldwin Park, CA
  419. 444. Burbank, CA
  420. 445. San Francisco, CA
  421. 446. West Covina, CA
  422. 447. Huntington Beach, CA
  423. 448. Irving, TX
  424. 449. Universal City, CA
  425. 450. Glendale, CA
  426. 451. Pasadena, CA
  427. 452. Orange, CA
  428. 453. Fort Worth, TX
  429. 454. Westminster, CA
  430. 455. Lakewood, CA
  431. 456. Fullerton, CA
  432. 457. San Jose, CA
  433. 458. Santa Ana, CA
  434. 459. Boston, MA
  435. 460. El Monte, CA
  436. 461. Garden Grove, CA
  437. 462. Buena Park, CA
  438. 463. Torrance, CA
  439. 464. Whittier, CA
  440. 465. Alhambra, CA
  441. 466. Long Beach, CA
  442. 467. Carson, CA
  443. 468. Anaheim, CA
  444. 469. San Antonio, TX
  445. 470. San Diego, CA
  446. 471. Norwalk, CA
  447. 472. Hawthorne, CA
  448. 473. Dallas, TX
  449. 474. New Rochelle, NY
  450. 475. Bellflower, CA
  451. 476. Inglewood, CA
  452. 477. Yonkers, NY
  453. 478. Compton, CA
  454. 479. Phoenix, AZ
  455. 480. Philadelphia, PA
  456. 481. Downey, CA
  457. 482. Paterson, NJ
  458. 483. Clifton, NJ
  459. 484. Lynwood, CA
  460. 485. Houston, TX
  461. 486. Elizabeth, NJ
  462. 487. Newark, NJ
  463. 488. South Gate, CA
  464. 489. South Ozone Park, NY
  465. 490. Chicago, IL
  466. 491. Jamaica, NY
  467. 492. Richmond Hill, NY
  468. 493. Staten Island, NY
  469. 494. Corona, NY
  470. 495. Elmhurst, NY
  471. 496. Los Angeles, CA
  472. 497. Jersey City, NJ
  473. 498. Astoria, NY
  474. 499. Brooklyn, NY
  475. 500. New York, NY

How to use this ranking

Even a mid-ranked city can offer good stargazing — the ranking is relative, and a 30–60 minute drive away from any city’s glow makes a dramatic difference. The best nights combine a dark location with clear skies and little moonlight, so check your city’s live forecast before heading out.