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Who are World's most innovative small cities 1 Million urban population and less?
Population band rankings added based on city feedback, to recognise the hard work of economic development, trade, tourism, Mayors and other groups in smaller cities delivering innovation conditions, despite less resources than medium or large Metropolises (like NYC).
This special city ranking shows which cities are outperforming relative to population.
Based on data from the 16th annual Innovation Cities™ Index city rankings process by 2THINKNOW. Original quantitative method, with 162 indicators (including consideration of 1000+ data point inputs) per city. Est. 2007.
Why this ranking? Breadth of indicators covers areas of innovation that 500 cities are focussed on. Such as: digital, liveability, smart, economic development, mobility (transport), tourism and trade, place branding, start-ups, sustainability. The city ranking has over a decade of results, making analysis possible. Detailed data is also available to order.
2THINKNOW: Global 100 | Global 500 | Global Small 200* | Global Medium 200* (NEW)
Compare: G8 | G20 | NAFTA | EU-27 | EU+EEA+Sw | ASEAN | GCC
Regions: ANZ | Asia Regio | China Region | India | Japan | Europe Regio | UK | Mid-East | Africa | Eurasia | Russia | USA | Latin America | Canada
US Feature: USA Small-Scale Cities* | USA Mid-Size Cities* (NEW)
These city rankings measure pre-conditions for innovation. Results are available globally (500 cities or top 100), or by region/nation.
The 162 Indicators cover key areas for city innovation such as: digital transformation, technology, startups, economic development, sustainability, liveability, mobility and other areas. Above average scores across many indicators result in a higher rank. Thus making cities that rank high, more well-balanced. You can order city data at any level.
Indicators map to key government departments or industries.
The Innovation Cities™ Index was established in 2007. We seek to definitively answer the question - 'which are the world's most innovative cities '?
-- MORE FAQ
Based on 162 standard Indicators with underlying Data Points from 2THINKNOW's awesome City Benchmarking Data set. Making it easy to compare cities.
-- From FAQ
You can request analysis on any area of your city. This can be data-sets, plans, recommendations. Anything to add detail.
All the data is available to compare any set of cities you need. The full data set is at your disposal, just order the specific areas you need. Available as raw Data Points or Indicators.
Please register and request a Proposal (add details)
Ranking Resources: Overview | Media Resources | Methodology | FAQ
Instructions for Use: Yes, the top-level Innovation Cities™ Index results are always free to track and monitor. You can publish this list, please attribute it correctly - see 'Reproducing this list' below the table. Just, register for email updates here.
Data Detail: The data is available for purchase at Indicator level. Used by govt, cities, finance, insurance, consultants and businesses. We also will work with you on analysis, training workshops and reports based on insights from 500 cities of data.
Small City Rankings Results for 2022-2023
SMALL INDEX RANK | CITY | LOCATION 1 | LOCATION 2 | SCORE (60) | 2018 YEAR RANK | CHANGE | CityID |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 51 | 1 | - | 43 | |
2 | Tel Aviv | Israel | 48 | 2 | - | 1337 | |
3 | Basel | Switzerland | 46 | 21 | 18 | 1538 | |
4 | Frankfurt | Germany | 46 | 3 | -1 | 409 | |
5 | Düsseldorf | Germany | 45 | 5 | - | 363 | |
6 | Québec | Quebec | Canada | 45 | 4 | -2 | 1079 |
7 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 45 | 12 | 5 | 1123 | |
8 | Gothenburg | Sweden | 45 | 29 | 21 | 453 | |
9 | Geneva | Switzerland | 45 | 15 | 6 | 437 | |
10 | Tallinn | Estonia | 44 | 87 | 77 | 1323 | |
11 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 44 | 7 | -4 | 368 | |
12 | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada | 44 | 59 | 47 | 484 |
13 | Albany | New York | United States | 44 | 34 | 21 | 1627 |
14 | Malmö | Sweden | 44 | 23 | 9 | 777 | |
15 | Nuremberg | Germany | 44 | 43 | 28 | 943 | |
16 | The Hague | Netherlands | 44 | 11 | -5 | 1537 | |
17 | Ventura | California | United States | 44 | 33 | 16 | 1633 |
18 | Salzburg | Salzburg | Austria | 43 | 41 | 23 | 1153 |
19 | Florence | Italy | 43 | 64 | 45 | 396 | |
20 | Essen | Germany | 43 | 27 | 7 | 386 | |
21 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | Canada | 43 | 56 | 35 | 480 |
22 | Leipzig | Germany | 43 | 6 | -16 | 718 | |
23 | Bristol | United Kingdom | 43 | 17 | -6 | 187 | |
24 | Torino | Italy | 43 | 35 | 11 | 1369 | |
25 | Albuquerque | New Mexico | United States | 43 | 8 | -17 | 27 |
26 | Charleston | South Carolina | United States | 43 | 44 | 18 | 246 |
27 | Ann Arbor | Michigan | United States | 43 | 13 | -14 | 51 |
28 | Dresden | Germany | 43 | 19 | -9 | 352 | |
29 | Lucerne | Switzerland | 43 | 42 | 13 | 1540 | |
30 | Allentown | Pennsylvania | United States | 43 | 45 | 15 | 34 |
31 | Belfast | United Kingdom | 43 | 37 | 6 | 129 | |
32 | Bern | Switzerland | 43 | 39 | 7 | 1539 | |
33 | Nice | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | France | 43 | 20 | -13 | 907 |
34 | Canberra | ACT | Australia | 42 | 30 | -4 | 219 |
35 | Wellington | Wellington | New Zealand | 42 | 9 | -26 | 1473 |
36 | Dortmund | Germany | 42 | 24 | -12 | 349 | |
37 | Duisburg | Germany | 42 | 31 | -6 | 357 | |
38 | Reykjavik | Iceland | 42 | 85 | 47 | 1099 | |
39 | Boulder | Colorado | United States | 42 | 10 | -29 | 168 |
40 | Nottingham | United Kingdom | 42 | 55 | 15 | 933 | |
41 | Sheffield | United Kingdom | 42 | 69 | 28 | 1229 | |
42 | Anchorage | Alaska | United States | 42 | 111 | 69 | 47 |
43 | Knoxville | Tennessee | United States | 42 | 83 | 40 | 662 |
44 | Colorado Springs | Colorado | United States | 42 | 51 | 7 | 293 |
45 | Venice | Italy | 42 | 115 | 70 | 1433 | |
46 | Bonn | Germany | 42 | 60 | 14 | 164 | |
47 | Bremen | Germany | 42 | 50 | 3 | 181 | |
48 | Mannheim-Heidelberg | Germany | 42 | 22 | -26 | 1558 | |
49 | Karlsruhe | Germany | 42 | 16 | -33 | 619 | |
50 | Winnipeg | Manitoba | Canada | 42 | 75 | 25 | 1483 |
51 | Aachen | North Rhine-Westphalia | Germany | 42 | 18 | -33 | 1 |
52 | Eindhoven | Netherlands | 42 | 25 | -27 | 370 | |
53 | Cardiff | United Kingdom | 42 | 58 | 5 | 226 | |
54 | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | United Kingdom | 42 | 40 | -14 | 903 | |
55 | Leeds | United Kingdom | 42 | 28 | -27 | 715 | |
56 | Greensboro | North Carolina | United States | 42 | 57 | 1 | 461 |
57 | Bordeaux | Aquitaine | France | 42 | 65 | 8 | 165 |
58 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 42 | 74 | 16 | 1548 | |
59 | Nantes | Pays de la Loire | France | 42 | 47 | -12 | 884 |
60 | Syracuse | New York | United States | 42 | 77 | 17 | 1302 |
61 | Corpus Christi | Texas | United States | 42 | 68 | 7 | 307 |
62 | El Paso | Texas | United States | 42 | 36 | -26 | 373 |
63 | Dayton | Ohio | United States | 42 | 110 | 47 | 330 |
64 | Savannah | Georgia | United States | 42 | 52 | -12 | 1211 |
65 | Boise | Idaho | United States | 42 | 46 | -19 | 161 |
66 | Christchurch | South island | New Zealand | 41 | 54 | -12 | 273 |
67 | Gold Coast | QLD | Australia | 41 | 53 | -14 | 1533 |
68 | Graz | Styria | Austria | 41 | 70 | 2 | 459 |
69 | Linz | Upper Austria | Austria | 41 | 101 | 32 | 728 |
70 | Katowice | Poland | 41 | 135 | 65 | 626 | |
71 | Lexington | Kentucky | United States | 41 | 109 | 38 | 722 |
72 | Chattanooga | Tennessee | United States | 41 | 106 | 34 | 249 |
73 | Kagoshima | Japan | 41 | 140 | 67 | 600 | |
74 | Wuppertal | Germany | 41 | 97 | 23 | 1489 | |
75 | Portland | Maine | United States | 41 | 89 | 14 | 2104 |
76 | Wroc?aw | Lower Silesian | Poland | 41 | 138 | 62 | 1908 |
77 | Madison | Wisconsin | United States | 41 | 38 | -39 | 765 |
78 | Toledo | Ohio | United States | 41 | 48 | -30 | 1362 |
79 | Akron | Ohio | United States | 41 | 76 | -3 | 23 |
80 | Montpellier | Languedoc-Roussillon | France | 41 | 88 | 8 | 852 |
81 | Winston-Salem | North Carolina | United States | 41 | 99 | 18 | 1484 |
82 | Greenville | South Carolina | United States | 41 | 139 | 57 | 1628 |
83 | Strasbourg | Alsace | France | 41 | 66 | -17 | 1284 |
84 | Green Bay | Wisconsin | United States | 41 | 86 | 2 | 460 |
85 | Odense | Denmark | 41 | 62 | -23 | 948 | |
86 | Manchester | New Hampshire | United States | 41 | 95 | 9 | 781 |
87 | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | United States | 41 | 61 | -26 | 119 |
88 | Málaga | Spain | 41 | 123 | 35 | 776 | |
89 | Des Moines | Iowa | United States | 41 | 26 | -63 | 336 |
90 | Bologna | Italy | 41 | 81 | -9 | 162 | |
91 | Springfield | Massachusetts | United States | 41 | 84 | -7 | 1266 |
92 | Lancaster | Pennsylvania | United States | 41 | 117 | 25 | 1629 |
93 | Wichita | Kansas | United States | 41 | 114 | 21 | 1479 |
94 | Little Rock | Arkansas | United States | 41 | 63 | -31 | 731 |
95 | Columbia | South Carolina | United States | 41 | 49 | -46 | 294 |
96 | Reno | Nevada | United States | 41 | 96 | - | 1097 |
97 | Stockton | California | United States | 41 | 94 | -3 | 1281 |
98 | Kitchener | Ontario | Canada | 41 | 121 | 23 | 659 |
99 | Gdansk | Poland | 40 | 90 | -9 | 434 | |
100 | Padova | Italy | 40 | 143 | 43 | 991 | |
101 | Verona | Italy | 40 | 144 | 43 | 1435 | |
102 | Nagasaki | Nagasaki | Japan | 40 | 79 | -23 | 876 |
103 | Bochum | Germany | 40 | 32 | -71 | 159 | |
104 | Newcastle | NSW | Australia | 40 | 137 | 33 | 1531 |
105 | Geelong | VIC | Australia | 40 | 147 | 42 | 1530 |
106 | RIGA | Latvia | 40 | 130 | 24 | 1106 | |
107 | Montgomery | Alabama | United States | 40 | 105 | -2 | 851 |
108 | Kraków | Poland | 40 | 134 | 26 | 682 | |
109 | Coventry | United Kingdom | 40 | 71 | -38 | 310 | |
110 | Tallahassee | Florida | United States | 40 | 14 | -96 | 1322 |
111 | Seville | Spain | 40 | 118 | 7 | 1224 | |
112 | Jackson | Mississippi | United States | 40 | 108 | -4 | 579 |
113 | Charlottesville | Virginia | United States | 40 | 80 | -33 | 1543 |
114 | Roanoke | North Carolina | United States | 40 | 112 | -2 | 1632 |
115 | Gent | East Flanders | Belgium | 40 | 107 | -8 | 439 |
116 | Spokane | Washington | United States | 40 | 92 | -24 | 1264 |
117 | Lincoln | Nebraska | United States | 40 | 119 | 2 | 727 |
118 | Bakersfield | California | United States | 40 | 93 | -25 | 94 |
119 | Modesto | California | United States | 40 | 78 | -41 | 840 |
120 | Augusta | Georgia | United States | 40 | 103 | -17 | 83 |
121 | Kiel | Germany | 40 | 82 | -39 | 643 | |
122 | London | Ontario | Canada | 40 | 116 | -6 | 736 |
123 | Bridgeport | Connecticut | United States | 40 | 67 | -56 | 184 |
124 | Zagreb | Croatia | 40 | 148 | 24 | 1515 | |
125 | Haifa | Israel | 40 | 142 | 17 | 479 | |
126 | Hobart | TAS | Australia | 39 | 104 | -22 | 518 |
127 | Modena | Italy | 39 | 151 | 24 | 839 | |
128 | Bath & NE Somerset | United Kingdom | 39 | 146 | 18 | 118 | |
129 | Trieste | Italy | 39 | 152 | 23 | 1383 | |
130 | Liège | Liège | Belgium | 39 | 98 | -32 | 723 |
131 | Moncton | New Brunswick | Canada | 39 | 155 | 24 | 846 |
132 | Fredericton - St John | New Brunswick | Canada | 39 | 141 | 9 | 1556 |
133 | Southampton | United Kingdom | 39 | 73 | -60 | 1260 | |
134 | Cedar Rapids | Iowa | United States | 39 | 124 | -10 | 241 |
135 | Kingston-upon-Hull | United Kingdom | 39 | 120 | -15 | 649 | |
136 | Granada | Spain | 39 | 169 | 33 | 455 | |
137 | Leuven | Flemish Brabant | Belgium | 39 | 127 | -10 | 1620 |
138 | Grenoble | Rhône-Alpes | France | 39 | 100 | -38 | 463 |
139 | Rochester | Minnesota | United States | 39 | 113 | -26 | 1114 |
140 | Springfield | Missouri | United States | 39 | 132 | -8 | 1267 |
141 | Wilmington | Delaware | United States | 38 | 122 | -19 | 2105 |
142 | Pamplona | Spain | 38 | 156 | 14 | 997 | |
143 | Gijón | Spain | 38 | 161 | 18 | 443 | |
144 | Jerusalem | Israel | 38 | 72 | -72 | 588 | |
145 | Queenstown | Otago | New Zealand | 38 | 164 | 19 | 1541 |
146 | Sioux Falls | South Dakota | United States | 38 | 166 | 20 | 1241 |
147 | Vilnius | Lithuania | 38 | 125 | -22 | 1445 | |
148 | Bozeman | Montana | United States | 38 | 149 | 1 | 171 |
149 | Springfield | Illinois | United States | 38 | 128 | -21 | 1265 |
150 | Rennes | Brittany | France | 38 | 91 | -59 | 1096 |
151 | Saint-Étienne | Rhône-Alpes | France | 38 | 145 | -6 | 1137 |
152 | Reims | Champagne-Ardenne | France | 38 | 133 | -19 | 1094 |
153 | Fuji | Japan | 37 | 171 | 18 | 416 | |
154 | Parma | Italy | 37 | 126 | -28 | 1003 | |
155 | Bratislava | Slovakia | 37 | 158 | 3 | 176 | |
156 | Wollongong | NSW | Australia | 37 | 102 | -54 | 1555 |
157 | Burlington | Vermont | United States | 37 | 153 | -4 | 2100 |
158 | Ljubljana | Slovenia | 37 | 131 | -27 | 734 | |
159 | Dijon | Bourgogne | France | 37 | 129 | -30 | 1581 |
160 | Le Havre | Haute-Normandie | France | 37 | 154 | -6 | 714 |
161 | Timisoara | Romania | 36 | 175 | 14 | 1352 | |
162 | Bendigo | VIC | Australia | 36 | 160 | -2 | 1529 |
163 | Ballarat | VIC | Australia | 36 | 159 | -4 | 1528 |
164 | Fargo | North Dakota | United States | 36 | 150 | -14 | 2103 |
165 | Cheyenne | Wyoming | United States | 36 | 172 | 7 | 2102 |
166 | Billings | Montana | United States | 36 | 168 | 2 | 150 |
167 | Limoges | Limousin | France | 36 | 157 | -10 | 1584 |
168 | Metz | Lorraine | France | 36 | 163 | -5 | 1585 |
169 | Manama | Bahrain | 36 | 173 | 4 | 779 | |
170 | Kosice | Slovakia | 35 | 170 | - | 678 | |
171 | Dubrovnik | Croatia | 35 | 167 | -4 | 355 | |
172 | Cannes | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | France | 35 | 162 | -10 | 1535 |
173 | Macau | Macau | China | 35 | 136 | -37 | 760 |
174 | Ajman | United Arab Emirates | 35 | 183 | 9 | 19 | |
175 | Al-Ain | United Arab Emirates | 34 | 178 | 3 | 24 | |
176 | Chisinau | Moldova | 33 | 181 | 5 | 1621 | |
177 | Petaling Jaya | Selangor | Malaysia | 33 | 165 | -12 | 1615 |
178 | Guimaraes | Norte | Portugal | 32 | 180 | 2 | 2081 |
179 | Sarajevo | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 32 | 186 | 7 | 1206 | |
180 | Kaliningrad | Kaliningrad Oblast | Russia | 32 | 174 | -6 | 603 |
181 | San Juan | Argentina | 32 | 185 | 4 | 2108 | |
182 | Skopje | Macedonia | 31 | 176 | -6 | 1243 | |
183 | Vladivostok | Primorsky Krai | Russia | 31 | 177 | -6 | 1457 |
184 | Tirana | Albania | 30 | 179 | -5 | 1353 | |
185 | Nassau | Bahamas | 30 | 192 | 7 | 2106 | |
186 | Saratov | Saratov Oblast | Russia | 29 | 182 | -4 | 1208 |
187 | Tomsk | Tomsk Oblast | Russia | 29 | 184 | -3 | 1366 |
188 | Orenburg | Orenburg Oblast | Russia | 29 | 190 | 2 | 971 |
189 | Lvov | Lviv Oblast | Ukraine | 29 | 189 | - | 756 |
190 | Tolyatti | Samara Oblast | Russia | 28 | 191 | 1 | 1365 |
191 | Port Louis | Mauritius | 28 | 194 | 3 | 1547 | |
192 | Barnaul | Altai Krai | Russia | 28 | 188 | -4 | 109 |
193 | Donetsk | Donetsk Oblast | Ukraine | 28 | 195 | 2 | 346 |
194 | Izhevsk | Udmurt Republic | Russia | 27 | 187 | -7 | 573 |
195 | La Paz | La Paz Department | Bolivia | 27 | 193 | -2 | 702 |
196 | Sevastopol | Sevastopol | Ukraine | 26 | 197 | 1 | 1222 |
197 | Port of Spain | Trinidad and Tobago | 26 | 196 | -1 | 2107 | |
198 | Dushanbe | Tajikistan | 25 | 200 | 2 | 362 | |
199 | Simferopol | Crimea | Ukraine | 25 | 199 | - | 1237 |
200 | Zaporozhye | Zaporizhia Oblast | Ukraine | 24 | 198 | -2 | 1518 |
Definition of Data Set: Top 200 small cities from 500 selected globally by population band (Under 1 million approx.)
Reproducing this list.
The indexes and supporting materials are copyright, and used under license by 2THINKNOW.
You may reproduce the index results in any reasonable form, graphics, or data mash-up as long as you attribute it to 2thinknow and do not modify the numbers or otherwise mislead.
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