A Dying Breed? Data reveals cities with best and worst access to third places

April 2026

A third place can play a crucial role in a successful friendship. The third place — a home away from home — is a neutral ground where friends gather socially without the pressures of hosting in their own homes. But in today’s post-pandemic digital age, third places are disappearing, and access to them varies by location.

Klatchmaker took a deep dive into data on third places in America to find out which metro areas have the most and least access to third places, and what kinds of third places are most common. A few things stood out in the results:

  • Third places are less accessible in large metros and rural areas than in mid-sized areas.
  • College towns especially offer some of the best access to third places.
  • Outdoor spaces, churches and sports courts are the most accessible kinds of third places.
  • Certain third places are more popular in different U.S. regions than others.
  • Most Americans are within walking distance of a third place.

The most third-place-friendly metros in America


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Some American cities have better access to third places than others.

In the United States, there are about two third places for every 1,000 residents. But at least 21 major metro areas have five or more third places per 1,000 residents. Santa Fe, N.M., and Madison, Wis., top the list, each offering six third place options for every 1,000 residents, on average.

Some might assume that large metro areas like New York and Los Angeles have the best third place availability, but this is not so. The areas with the most third place options per capita are mostly mid-sized towns with more compact living environments: They aren’t too big or too small, but just the right size for the town’s biggest hubs and offerings to be near residents.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that access to third places in many college towns is above average — university life tends to be the hub of commerce and activity, often in areas that aren’t too big. Madison, Wis., home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is the second-most third-place-friendly city in America, while other college towns like Waterloo–Cedar Falls, Iowa; Fargo, N.D.; and Carbondale-Marion, Ill., make up a good portion of the top 10 percent of third-place-friendly areas.

Areas with MOST third places per 1,000 people


RankMetro AreaThird Places Per Thousand
1Santa Fe, N.M.5.87
2Madison, Wis.*5.50
3Cedar Rapids, Iowa5.42
4Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa5.39
5Naples-Marco Island, Fla.5.23
6Brunswick, Ga.5.22
7Rochester, Minn.5.03
8Napa, Calif.4.99
9Great Falls, Mont.4.99
10Pittsfield, Mass.4.90
11Lawrence, Kan.*4.82
12Fargo, N.D.-Minn.*4.80
13Carbondale-Marion, Ill.*4.78
14Dubuque, Iowa4.74
15Logan, Utah-Idaho*4.61
16Ames, Iowa*4.61
17Barnstable Town, Mass.4.61
18Niles, Mich.4.60
19Gadsden, Ala.4.58
20La Crosse-Onalaska, Wis.-Minn.*4.52
21Blacksburg-Christiansburg, Va.*4.51
22Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.*4.46
23Champaign-Urbana, Ill.*4.38
24Bloomington, Ill.*4.37
25Tuscaloosa, Ala.*4.36

*College town

Areas with FEWEST third places per 1,000 people

 
RankMetro AreaThird Places Per Thousand
1Yuba City, Calif.0.80
2Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla.0.83
3Laredo, Texas*0.98
4Victoria, Texas1.00
5McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas*1.00
6Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas*1.00
7Lafayette, La.1.09
8Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.1.09
9Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.1.10
10Madera, Calif.1.13
11Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz.1.15
12Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.1.17
13Visalia, Calif.1.21
14Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev.1.21
15Vineland-Bridgeton, N.J.1.24
16New York-Jersey City-White Plains, N.Y.-N.J.1.27
17Sebring-Avon Park, Fla.1.27
18Houma-Thibodaux, La.*1.28
19Modesto, Calif.1.32
20El Paso, Texas1.41
21Bay City, Mich.1.43
22Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.1.45
23Yuma, Ariz.1.46
24Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas1.48
25Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine, Texas1.48
 
*College town

Unlike mid-sized areas, large metros tend to have big tourist-oriented commercial districts along with surrounding residential communities and suburbs. Even if they provide larger venues or clusters of third place venues, many residents have fewer options near them. In mid-sized areas, attractions and commercial districts may be closer to home. New York, the largest of the 400 metros Klatchmaker analyzed, ranks No. 385 on the list of third places per capita. Los Angeles ranks No. 393. Houston ranks No. 377.

The lowest-ranking metro areas for third places per capita are located in America’s largest states. Texas and California account for eight of the 10 lowest-ranking areas for number of third places per capita.

 

What are third places?



A third place is often loosely defined. Generally, it’s a free or inexpensive, publicly accessible environment where anyone can meet and freely socialize with strangers or acquaintances on a regular basis. In other words, places where anyone can just hang out for a while.

For this project, Klatchmaker analyzed OpenStreetMap (OSM) points-of-interest data to pinpoint third places. Using the definition above, Klatchmaker focused on OSM points-of-interest that fall into seven categories:

  • Churches and places of worship
  • Certain retail spaces (i.e., malls, record stores and bookstores)
  • Parks and outdoor spaces (i.e., playgrounds and parks)
  • Food and drinking spaces (i.e., bars and cafes)
  • Sports courts (i.e., basketball courts, tennis courts and pickleball courts)
  • Community spaces (i.e., community centers, libraries and recreation centers)
  • Play spaces (i.e., arcades and pool halls)

Klatchmaker mapped these points of interest onto census tracts (small geographic districts created by the U.S. Census Bureau, essentially representing a “community” of roughly 1,200 to 8,000 residents). Klatchmaker then tallied the number of third places in each census tract. To rank the metros, Klatchmaker found the median number of third places per 1,000 residents per tract for each metro area.

 

The most third-place-friendly towns, by category



A third place is a broad concept that covers a variety of spaces. So Klatchmaker divided the list of third places in the U.S. into categories to see whether some cities offer better access to certain types of third places than others.

Even though bars and cafes may be the first kinds of venues people think of when they hear “third place,” on average, parks and outdoor spaces, churches and sports courts are the most prevalent types of third places available to Americans. Other categories, including bars and cafes, are more sparse.

Sports & Recreation:


For sports courts, such as tennis, basketball and pickleball courts, the top five cities are Naples-Marco Island, Fla.; Barnstable, Mass.; Napa, Calif.; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Sebastian-Vero Beach, Fla. The leader, Naples-Marco Island, is a retirement destination. It offers a whopping four recreational courts per 1,000 residents. The city-owned Racquet Center alone provides Marco Island residents with more than a dozen tennis, pickleball and racquetball courts. The East Naples Community Park offers more than 64 courts and is home to the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships.

Areas with MOST sports courts and fields per 1,000 people

 
RankMetro AreaSports Courts/Fields Per Thousand
1Naples-Marco Island, Fla.3.53
2Barnstable Town, Mass.2.15
3Napa, Calif.1.6
4Santa Fe, N.M.1.57
5Sebastian-Vero Beach, Fla.1.56
6San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.1.36
7Pittsfield, Mass.1.32
8Fargo, N.D.-Minn.1.26
9San Rafael, Calif.1.19
10Ocean City, N.J.1.17
11Muskegon, Mich.1.11
12Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, S.C.1.11
13Tucson, Ariz.1.06
14Lawrence, Kan.1.06
15Santa Rosa-Petaluma, Calif.1.05
16Kalamazoo-Portage, Mich.1.02
17Pueblo, Colo.1.02
18St. George, Utah0.99
19Wenatchee, Wash.0.99
20Frederick-Gaithersburg-Rockville, Md.0.98
21Madison, Wis.0.98
22Walla Walla, Wash.0.97
23Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.0.96
24San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.0.96
25Logan, Utah-Idaho0.96
 
 

Parks:

 
In terms of access to parks, Fargo, N.D., and surrounding parts of Minnesota have the most parks for residents, with nearly three parks per 1,000 people. Rochester, Minn., and Madison, Wis., have similar access.

 

Areas with MOST parks and outdoor spaces per 1,000 people

 
RankMetro AreaParks/Outdoor Spaces Per Thousand
1Fargo, N.D.-Minn.2.78
2Rochester, Minn.2.76
3Madison, Wis.2.73
4La Crosse-Onalaska, Wis.-Minn.2.33
5Dubuque, Iowa2.23
6Logan, Utah-Idaho2.19
7Cedar Rapids, Iowa2.18
8Santa Fe, N.M.2.12
9Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa2.09
10Missoula, Mont.2.03
11Bloomington, Ill.2.03
12Grand Forks, N.D.-Minn.1.99
13Great Falls, Mont.1.93
14Ames, Iowa1.88
15Wausau-Weston, Wis.1.86
16Elgin, Ill.1.85
17Tacoma-Lakewood, Wash.1.84
18Provo-Orem, Utah1.84
19Boulder, Colo.1.82
20Duluth, Minn.-Wis.1.79
21Pocatello, Idaho1.77
22Racine, Wis.1.77
23Appleton, Wis.1.76
24Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa1.71
25Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis.1.71
 

Bars:

 
When it comes to bars, Wisconsin and Montana dominate. Of the top 10 cities for bars, seven are in either Montana or Wisconsin — Great Falls, Mont., and Wausau-Weston, Wis., are the top two. Springfield, Ill.; the Portland area; and Fairbanks, Alaska, are the only three cities in the top 10 bar towns that aren’t in Montana or Wisconsin.

But this doesn’t mean adults in these areas have a plethora of watering holes to choose from. The number of bars per capita across the country is relatively low. Each of the top three bar cities offers about one bar per 4,000 residents.

 

Areas with MOST bars per 1,000 people


RankMetro AreaBars Per Thousand
1Great Falls, Mont.0.27
2Wausau-Weston, Wis.0.26
3Springfield, Ill.0.26
4Billings, Mont.0.23
5Oshkosh-Neenah, Wis.0.21
6Madison, Wis.0.21
7Missoula, Mont.0.2
8Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash.0.18
9Eau Claire, Wis.0.18
10Fairbanks, Alaska0.18
11Erie, Pa.0.17
12Grand Junction, Colo.0.13
13Appleton, Wis.0.12
 

Food & Drink:

 
People living in the West have an easier time finding a place to connect over a cup of coffee or bite to eat. While most places have fewer than one food court or cafe per 1,000 residents, cities in Washington state, California and Oregon account for most of the top 10 cities for food and drink third places per capita (this doesn’t include bars). The Mount Vernon area in Washington has the most offerings, with roughly one food court or cafe per 2,000 people.

 

Areas with MOST food courts and cafes per 1,000 people

 
RankMetro AreaCafe and Food Courts Per Thousand
1Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Wash.0.52
2Coeur d'Alene, Idaho0.39
3San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.0.32
4Eugene-Springfield, Ore.0.31
5Bellingham, Wash.0.29
6Wenatchee, Wash.0.29
7Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.0.29
8Seattle-Bellevue-Kent, Wash.0.28
9San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif.0.27
10Santa Fe, N.M.0.27
11Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, Wash.0.27
12Missoula, Mont.0.26
13Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash.0.26
14Medford, Ore.0.25
15Spokane-Spokane Valley, Wash.0.25
16Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii0.25
17Corvallis, Ore.0.24
18Lawrence, Kan.0.24
19Bend, Ore.0.24
20Boulder, Colo.0.23
21San Rafael, Calif.0.22
22Flagstaff, Ariz.0.21
23Albany-Lebanon, Ore.0.21
24Billings, Mont.0.21
25Tacoma-Lakewood, Wash.0.2
 

Churches:

 
While the Midwest and West may be the best places to connect over a drink, the South leads the list of cities with the most churches per capita. Southern cities account for the top 28 cities with the most houses of worship per capita.

 

Areas with most places of worship per 1,000 people


RankMetro AreaWorship Places Per Thousand
1Gadsden, Ala.3.45
2Anniston-Oxford, Ala.2.62
3Pine Bluff, Ark.2.59
4Florence-Muscle Shoals, Ala.2.52
5Florence, S.C.2.47
6Tuscaloosa, Ala.2.28
7Blacksburg-Christiansburg, Va.2.28
8Dothan, Ala.2.16
9Alexandria, La.2.12
10Valdosta, Ga.2.1
11Brunswick, Ga.2.01
12Charleston, W.Va.2
13Beckley, W.Va.1.98
14Wheeling, W.Va.-Ohio1.97
15Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va.1.94
16Sumter, S.C.1.86
17Goldsboro, N.C.1.84
18Decatur, Ala.1.83
19Jackson, Tenn.1.79
20Cumberland, Md.-W.Va.1.77
21Cleveland, Tenn.1.76
22Rocky Mount, N.C.1.7
23Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C.1.68
24Monroe, La.1.68
25Morristown, Tenn.1.68
 


The problem with churches

 

Places of worship are often easily accessible spaces with opportunities for community building. However, they don’t always appeal to people who don’t follow their belief systems. So Klatchmaker also analyzed third place accessibility per capita, excluding churches and other places of worship. This yielded different results.

When places of worship are removed from the list of third places, suddenly Southern metros have fewer third places per capita. Santa Fe, N.M., and Madison, Wis., remain the two metros with the most third places per capita, but more Midwestern and East Coast cities fill out the top 10.

Meanwhile, without places of worship, Southern metros account for all of the 10 least-third-place-friendly areas. This not only suggests that Southern areas may have more churches per capita, but that these areas may also have more rural communities where access to secular third places may be more sparse.

Areas with MOST secular third places per 1,000 people


RankMetro AreaNon-Church Third Places Per Thousand
1Santa Fe, N.M.5.00
2Madison, Wis.*4.97
3Naples-Marco Island, Fla.4.53
4Napa, Calif.4.41
5Barnstable Town, Mass.4.35
6Fargo, N.D.-Minn.*4.30
7Rochester, Minn.4.18
8La Crosse-Onalaska, Wis.-Minn.*4.00
9Pittsfield, Mass.3.95
10San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.*3.88
11Boulder, Colo.*3.84
12Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Wash.3.80
13Bloomington, Ill.*3.78
14Dubuque, Iowa3.71
15Lawrence, Kan.*3.70
16Cedar Rapids, Iowa3.64
17Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.*3.61
18Racine, Wis.3.57
19State College, Pa.*3.57
20Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa3.54
21Tacoma-Lakewood, Wash.3.54
22Great Falls, Mont.3.53
23Champaign-Urbana, Ill.*3.52
24Mankato, Minn.*3.44
25Logan, Utah-Idaho*3.42
 
*College town

Areas with FEWEST secular third places per 1,000 people


RankMetro AreaNon-Church Third Places Per Thousand
1Hammond, La.*0.19
2Victoria, Texas0.38
3Greenville, N.C.*0.51
4Johnson City, Tenn.*0.52
5Ocala, Fla.0.53
6Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.0.54
7Sebring-Avon Park, Fla.0.55
8Dalton, Ga.0.57
9Lafayette, La.0.59
10Homosassa Springs, Fla.0.59
11Pine Bluff, Ark.0.60
12Jefferson City, Mo.0.60
13Alexandria, La.0.61
14Jackson, Miss.0.62
15Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.0.63
16Clarksville, Tenn.-Ky.*0.64
17Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas0.65
18Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.0.66
19Houma-Thibodaux, La.*0.66
20Springfield, Ohio0.67
21Montgomery, Ala.0.68
22Baton Rouge, La.0.69
23Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.0.70
24Shreveport-Bossier City, La.0.70
25Gadsden, Ala.0.72

*College town

Access and third place "walkability deserts"

 

Klatchmaker also took a look at how close people are to third places. We found that most communities are within walking distance (one mile) of at least one third place. A few others are possible third place walkability deserts, meaning there are very few, if any, recorded third places within one mile of the census tract. Only 116 census-tract communities in 51 cities fit this definition.

These possible third place walkability deserts are often rural or remote communities. In California, which has the most third-place-lacking communities, many of the areas are in literal deserts. Some residents in places like Aguanga, Calif., or Whitewater, Calif., are miles away from cafes, libraries and even bars.



Rural residents might be used to driving places. So Klatchmaker also looked at communities that are outside of a comfortable driving distance of a third place (15 miles). We found that nearly all census tracts are at least within driving distance of a third place. The six that aren’t are in sparsely populated islands and peninsulas in Hawaii, Alaska, the Channel Islands and the Florida Keys. These remote and fairly isolated places mostly have very small populations, if any. This means that the majority of Americans ultimately live in communities within walking or driving distance of some sort of third place.

 

Conclusion


Third places are resources for people to connect and build bonds. Access to them is increasingly important. Rural communities and big cities often have the least-accessible third place options, meaning people in these areas may need help meeting new people and connecting with friends outside of their households. Klatchmaker aims to be one option those folks can use to find and connect with friends nearby. With Klatchmaker, access to a third place enhances the experience, but isn’t required to connect. Once matched in a group, users can meet online via video chats before coordinating hangout time somewhere public and local. That place doesn’t have to be a third space — it can be a restaurant, cinema or event. Regardless, Klatchmaker is here to help people find and stay connected with an inner circle.

 

Methodology



Klatchmaker set out to explore the prevalence and accessibility of third places in American cities.

Definitions

There is no single, universal definition of a “third place.” The concept was coined by sociologists Ray Oldenburg and Karen Christensen. In their book "The Great Good Place," they outline various features of the third place. But even then, the concept is broad and flexible.

For this study, Klatchmaker defined third places as “free or inexpensive, publicly accessible environments where anyone can meet and freely socialize with strangers and acquaintances on a regular basis.” In other words, places where anyone can just hang out for a while because they serve or double as public hangout spaces.

This definition encapsulates eight major characteristics of third places that Oldenburg and Christensen outline in "The Great Good Place."

Things that are not considered third places:

  • Home
  • Work
  • School or classes
  • Places that require appointments or mandatory appearances
  • Private spaces that require membership or approved entry
  • Places with pressure or an expectation for every patron to perform a specific activity other than hang out (for example, patrons at a full-service restaurant are expected to sit, be served and eat rather than hang out freely)

Klatchmaker used this definition to compile a list of more than 30 types of third places.

Klatchmaker then categorized the items on this list under official OpenStreetMap points-of-interest categories called primary keys:

  • Amenity
  • Leisure
  • Place
  • Shop
  • Sports courts (pitch)
  • Tourism

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a crowdsourced geospatial database of places and locations. Prior studies estimate that OSM points of interest (POI) data achieves roughly 60–70 percent completeness overall, with stronger coverage in some categories (i.e., shopping). OSM data is commonly used in urban science research as a proxy dataset for points of interest.

Our final list of OSM points of interest was:

  • Amenity
    • bar
    • biergarten
    • pub
    • cafe
    • tea house
    • food court
    • place of worship
    • community center
    • library
    • recreation center
    • senior center
    • volunteer center
    • student union
  • Leisure
    • amusement arcade
    • billiards
    • dog park
    • park
    • playground
    • skate park
  • Place
    • square
    • plaza
  • Shop
    • books
    • comic
    • games
    • music
    • mall
  • Sports courts (pitch)
    • basketball
    • pickleball
    • tennis
  • Tourism
    • (none)

Klatchmaker used the OSM Overpass API to obtain a geocoded list of all OSM-recorded points of interest for each of the items on the list above. The final list of geocoded points was used to represent the estimated distribution of third places across the United States as of January 2026.

Ranking cities on third place access

Klatchmaker placed the points of interest onto a map of 2023 U.S. census tracts. We then tallied the number of points inside each tract. We also used 2023 Census data for each tract’s population. We then calculated the number of points per 1,000 people per tract. The tracts were grouped by their parent Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or Metropolitan Division. An MSA is a U.S. Census Bureau geographic designation representing a large urban area and its surrounding communities, while MDs are subdivisions of particularly large MSAs.  We then found the median number of points of interest per 1,000 people for each MSA/MD represented in the data. 

In this report, we refer to MSAs and MDs as areas, metros, or metro areas. In some cases, we colloquially refer to these areas as cities or towns, though technically MSAs and MDs can include multiple cities or towns.

Ranking by category

In addition to having a primary key (amenity, leisure, shop, etc.), which serves as a top-level category, each point of interest may have various tags that describe the type of venue or space it is, beyond the main key. These tags are subcategories for the primary keys. For the category analysis, Klatchmaker used some of the primary keys to represent the third place "categories." For the remaining primary keys, we used their tags to create new categories. For example, while sports courts is a primary key that we used as a third place category, the place of worship category is derived from the “place of worship” tag under the “amenity” primary key. Klatchmaker then tallied the number of points of interest falling under each category. Note that some points of interest may fall under multiple categories because they contain multiple tags.

After tallying the number of points of interest per category per tract, Klatchmaker calculated the median number of points of interest per category per tract for each MSA. This provided the score for the final rankings.

Final Categories:

  • Amenity Category
    • Bars Subcategory
      • bar
      • biergarten
      • pub
    • Food Court and Cafes Subcategory
      • cafe
      • tea house
      • food court
    • Church Subcategory
      • place of worship
    • Community Subcategory
      • community centre
      • library
      • recreation centre
      • senior centre
      • volunteer centre
      • student union
  • Leisure Category
    • Play Subcategory
      • amusement arcade
      • billiards
    • Outdoors/Park Subcategory (combined with Place)
      • dog park
      • park
      • playground
      • skate park
  • Place Category
    • square
    • plaza
  • Shop Category
    • books
    • comic
    • games
    • music
    • mall
  • Sports Courts (Pitch) Category
    • basketball
    • pickleball
    • tennis

Access Analysis

To determine which tracts exist outside of walking distance from a third place (which Klatchmaker defines as no more than one mile), Klatchmaker performed a spatial analysis on the points of interest, creating a one-mile buffer radius around each point. Any census tract not touching a one-mile buffer was deemed outside of walking distance from a third place.

It is important to note that OpenStreetMap data is not fully complete. It is possible that some tracts on the list are near a third place that was not documented in the OSM database.

Caveats and notes

The following are important details anyone should know before drawing conclusions from the data in this analysis:
  • Third place is a loosely defined concept. This project uses the definition outlined above and refers to the places listed above. Other people or entities may consider places not on the list as third places.
  • Some places were not included. Places that some may consider third places but did not make our list include casinos, adult entertainment venues (strip clubs), beaches, bowling alleys, museums, barber shops and salons, and any other place not specifically mentioned in the lists above.
  • Third place data is user-generated. Much like Wikipedia articles, OpenStreetMap points-of-interest data is crowdsourced and user-edited. Therefore, the dataset Klatchmaker used may not represent every single point of interest or third place in the United States, and some results may be false-positive. The OSM database is commonly used to assess points of interest data in urban science. 

Anyone citing the project should be aware that Klatchmaker’s rankings and assessments are estimates based on available OSM data and may not represent a final measure of third-place share or accessibility.

When citing this analysis, please credit Klatchmaker. Klatchmaker is an online platform that matches people with a group of nearby friends. Learn more here.

For more information, contact press@Klatchmaker.com
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