New York City Crowned America’s Most Instagrammable City, Study Finds

New York City has been crowned the most Instagrammable city in the United States, according to a Rivers Wall Art study that analyzed data from 895 million Instagram posts across 25 of the nation’s largest cities. NYC alone accounted for 183,869,262 posts, far ahead of its peers. Los Angeles was second with 141,271,982 posts, and Chicago followed with 60,196,138. The ranking positions the city as a top backdrop for both visitors and locals seeking iconic photo moments.

Research tracked location specific hashtags tied to each city, including the city name such as NewYorkCity, its three-letter abbreviation NYC, the state tag NewYork, and the state initials NY, as well as combinations that included country identifiers. The analysis then tallied posts by city and compiled a national ranking. The study notes that the two most popular hashtags are NYC and NewYorkCity, used 145.3 million times and 35.9 million times respectively, underscoring how often the Big Apple appears in social media posts. The researchers added that NYC drew 61.8 million travelers to its attractions last year, a figure that aligns with the city’s enduring appeal as a photo destination and cultural hub.

The study’s authors described the rankings as a reflection of how a citys visual backdrop can influence tourism, social media engagement, and even the decorative arts that people purchase for homes. Tony Gilbert, creative director of Rivers Wall Art, noted that in today’s online environment a citys aesthetic profile can rebound into broader cultural and economic interest. A strong visual identity helps cities attract visitors who want to capture and share moments from famous streets, skyline views, and landmarks, and those images can resonate long after a trip ends.

New York City secured the top spot in a field that also highlighted the appeal of major entertainment and cultural centers. The top 10 list shows a clear concentration of photo friendly locales: 1) New York City with 183,869,262 Instagram posts, 2) Los Angeles with 141,271,982 posts, 3) Chicago with 60,196,138 posts, 4) Las Vegas with 54,038,732 posts, 5) San Francisco with 45,895,134 posts, 6) Washington, D.C. with 45,470,821 posts, 7) San Diego with 39,451,127 posts, 8) Seattle with 37,597,785 posts, 9) Austin with 34,022,105 posts, and 10) Houston with 33,942,790 posts. These figures illustrate how visual moments across neighborhoods—from riverfronts and skyline views to iconic streets—propel a city onto social media feeds and influence travel decisions.

The study also frames New York as a cultural magnet beyond its digital footprint. Researchers described the city as a cultural icon, citing landmarks and events such as a famed skyline and major attractions that draw large numbers of visitors annually. The authors emphasized that social media momentum can translate into real-world tourism, with many travelers seeking out well photographed spots that are recognizable in online feeds. In today’s climate, where a backdrop can be a currency of its own, cities vie to maintain photogenic reputations that sustain both tourism and local economies.

Gotham has added another wrinkle to its public image in recent years, occasionally appearing in headlines for less flattering reasons, including being labeled the worst city for dating in certain surveys. Yet the new analysis suggests that even amid such contrasts, New Yorks photo ready aesthetics remain a powerful draw. The study acknowledges that a citys visual identity is not the sole driver of its appeal but argues that it plays a pivotal role in shaping perceptions, guiding visitor flows, and fueling creative industries that rely on iconic imagery.

For context, the ranking reflects a subset of the United States largest urban centers and relies on publicly accessible Instagram post data tied to city level hashtags. The study notes the strong performance of Los Angeles and Chicago, with LA trailing NYC by about 43.6 million posts and Chicago placing third by a wide margin, underscoring the diversified appeal of different urban landscapes across the country. Researchers stressed that social media metrics represent one lens on a citys attractiveness, complementing traditional indicators such as visitor spending, hotel occupancy, and landmark visitation figures.

To illustrate the visual dimension of the findings, a selection of iconic urban scenes in the New York area remains a focal point of photos shared online: the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan skyline, and bustling streets across the boroughs. The images in this report are provided by a media partner and reflect the type of scenes that frequently appear in geotagged feeds and home decor alike.

The Rivers Wall Art study slots into a broader conversation about how cities cultivate photogenic reputations in the era of digital sharing. As tourism patterns adapt to social media trends, planners and marketers increasingly consider how streetscapes, landmarks, and even everyday corners can become enduring pieces of a citys brand. The authors say the use of highly recognizable locations and vibrant scenery can sustain interest and help maintain a steady stream of visitors, a dynamic that matters for local economies, cultural institutions, and small businesses that benefit from global attention generated by online images.

In the end, New York Citys position at the top of the list aligns with a longstanding reality: its urban tapestry — from its dense architectural panorama to its varied neighborhoods and world famous landmarks — provides a ready-made stage for photography. Whether travelers are chasing classic postcard views or contemporary street photography, the city offers more prominent backdrops per square mile than most other American metros. The study underscores that in a media-saturated era, a citys visual legibility can be as important as its traffic arteries or transit hubs in shaping where people decide to visit and what they decide to photograph.