Seattle by Edward Stojacovic via Flickr CC

Seattle is the smartest U.S. city, an index report by ProptechOS reveals. Seattle overtook last year’s winner, Austin, Texas, to rank as the smartest city in the United States in 2024, with an overall score of 75.7 out of 100.

“Home to the likes of Amazon and Microsoft, Seattle scores highly in our research for tech infrastructure, with 34 AI companies and 13 IoT companies per 100,000 people,” the report says.

On sustainability, Seattle expanded its tree coverage by 13,700 hectares between 2010 and 2020 and built the equivalent of ten electric vehicle recharging points per 100,000 people.

To determine which cities are the smartest in 2024, ProptechOS analyzed 16 metrics related to connectivity and infrastructure, sustainability, and the tech job market. The report then ranked cities in Europe and the United States and created a weighted index.

The report analyzes three main metrics:

Tech infrastructure and connectivity, including:

• The number of free WiFi hotspots
• The number of AI companies
• The number of AI companies per 100,000 people
• The number of IoT (Internet of Things) companies 
• The number of IoT (Internet of Things) companies per 100,000 people
• Average broadband download speeds (Mbps)
• Median 5G coverage of population per network provider
• The number of airports

Green infrastructure:

• Air quality (exposure to PM2.5)
• 10-year tree loss (hectares)
• 10-year tree gain (hectares)
• The number of electric vehicle charging points
• The number of electric vehicle charging points per 100,000 people
• The number of LEED-certified green buildings

The tech job market:

• The number of tech jobs advertised
• The number of tech jobs advertised per 100,000 people

So, what is the smartest European city? Paris!

The French capital ranks the highest in Europe among cities best prepared for a smart city future, with an overall score of 76.4, overtaking last year’s winner, London.

Paris leads with several metrics, including 99.9% 5G coverage of the population by the average network provider. It has Europe’s second-highest number (532) of AI specialist companies, and the third-highest number (10,663) of free Wi-Fi hotspots, the report says.

“Paris is also known for its smart traffic management systems, which help monitor noise levels, air quality, and other environmental factors.”