A WalletHub study released in July 2026 ranked 100 of America's largest cities on recreation, and Jersey City, New Jersey, came dead last — number 100 out of 100, with an overall score of just 34.94. Nearby Newark didn't fare much better at 99. Meanwhile, Las Vegas topped the list, and even so its winning score was only 67.12, showing how tough the criteria were.

The study weighed 47 metrics across four buckets: entertainment and recreational facilities, cost, quality of parks, and weather. Jersey City scored poorly across the board — 81st for facilities, a dismal 93rd for cost, 58th for parks, and 55th for weather. The parks number looks odd on paper, given the city has 108 parks and every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of one, but rankings are rankings.

Here's the thing, though: plenty of travellers would argue the study misses the point. Jersey City's real draw is location. Sitting on the Hudson River across from Lower Manhattan, it's a favourite budget-friendly base for people who want to see New York City without paying NYC hotel prices. Newark Liberty International Airport is only about 10 miles away, roughly a 20-minute drive.

And the city isn't short of things to do once you're there. Liberty State Park is New Jersey's most visited park, drawing nearly 4.5 million people a year, with skyline views, summer concerts and outdoor film screenings, and a direct line of sight to the Statue of Liberty. Art lovers have plenty to chew on: a 60-foot sculpture called Water's Soul on the Hudson waterfront, plus roughly 200 murals by 138 artists thanks to the Jersey City Mural Arts Program — the program's website offers a map so you can build your own free walking tour. Mana Contemporary, an arts hub in a converted tobacco warehouse with working studios and exhibitions, runs guided tours. Food-wise, Little India is one of the standout ethnic food neighbourhoods in the country. Add the Palisades Scenic Byway for a drive with East Coast views and the hands-on Liberty Science Center, and the 'worst for recreation' label starts to feel like a stretch.

So who should care about this ranking? If you're chasing a full-on recreation holiday — hiking, kayaking, climbing, endless cheap activities — the data suggests looking elsewhere, since Jersey City also isn't a bargain by these measures. But if you want an affordable launchpad for Manhattan with genuine local character, public art and good food on your doorstep, the numbers matter less than the vibe. WalletHub's own list has other big names scraping by too: New York City ranked 51st, Washington D.C. 68th, Boston 77th and Memphis 89th — proof that 'recreation score' and 'worth visiting' are not the same thing.

Story via Explore.com.