USA and Canada are leaders in advancing inclusivity
The USA and Canada are leaders in advancing inclusivity, with significant strides in LGBTQ+ rights over recent decades. Canada has established itself as a global champion for equality, with strong legal protections and widespread social acceptance. In the USA, while progress has been made with marriage equality and anti-discrimination laws, challenges remain due to varying state-level policies. Advocacy and corporate support continue to drive cultural and legal advancements, positioning the region as a beacon for LGBTQ+ inclusion.
City ratings
AAA
Toronto
AA
Atlanta
Calgary
Dallas ▲
Los Angeles
Montreal
San Francisco
Washington DC
Ottawa ▼
Boston ▼
Chicago
Houston ▲
Minneapolis
New York City
Vancouver
A
▼ City has declined since 2022 ▲ City has improved since 2022 ✷ New city
Region headlines
U.S. urban centres outperform global medians, showing remarkable consistency in both inclusion and economic competitiveness - each of the 10 U.S. cities in the City Ratings 2025 scores highly across all metrics. The most significant gap is in human capital, where U.S. cities score more than double the global median, highlighting a strong ability to attract and retain talent. The smallest gap is in LGBTQ+ inclusion, suggesting global cities are catching up, and that U.S. cities may now represent a “ceiling effect” where they’ve already achieved high levels of both inclusion and economic performance.
The U.S.'s historic leadership is at risk as changes in LGBTQ+ inclusion policies create new barriers to talent mobility. In 2023 alone, over 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in U.S. state legislatures, with more than 220 of them targeting transgender and non-binary people. Combined with major corporations scaling back DEI commitments in 2025, this legislative shift threatens the U.S.’ position in the global talent market. The World Economic Forum’s DEI Lighthouses Report 2025 emphasizes that while not all DEI initiatives deliver equal impact,90 those tied directly to business outcomes show measurable economic value.
Our City Ratings suggest that inclusion isn’t only a social policy but a fundamental economic driver. While U.S. cities unanimously score in the “fully open for business” category, any perceived regression in their inclusion standards could accelerate brain drain and compromise the innovation ecosystem that has historically distinguished U.S. cities in the global marketplace.