Miami is the rudest city in the US, survey says

Well, this news isn’t exactly shocking, is it?

The City of Miami, iconic for countless reasons, apparently attracts tourists around the worldwide despite its prickly reputation.

A new survey from language-learning site Preply ranked dozens of U.S. cities from most to least rude. Miami was in the top two–and it wasn’t number two. 

And apparently, Miamians know it, since surveyed residents (along with those in Oakland, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz.) said people in their city are ruder than those in any other.

But before you storm off and roll your eyes, there are some interesting details to unpack here. Such as, what makes a city rude? Who's ruder, locals or transplants? And if we're the most ill-tempered—who's the nicest?

Read on to find out.

The recipe for rudeness

Fifteen different rude behaviors came up during Preply's survey, three of which stuck out in Miami: lack of awareness in public, loudness in shared places and rudeness to service staff members.

We scored a 9.88 out of 10 on the rudeness scale. Yikes.

While Preply doesn't go into detail about its data (such as the frequency of a specific rude behavior), we're going to go ahead and assume that the drivers in Miami don't exactly get a passing grade here either.

"Rude drivers are common across America, as 6 in 10 say they’ve witnessed drivers in their city ignore basic rules of the road and not slow down or be cautious around pedestrians," the study's conclusions says. "While on their city’s roadways, residents say rude drivers most commonly prevent others from merging, and they also drive to a closed lane to merge closer to the front."

Other impolite behaviors noticed across the country include not respecting personal space or hygiene, not acknowledging strangers and watching videos or listening to music out loud in shared spaces.

Want to see which of these you may unknowingly be guilty of? See them all here.

When you say we're rude, who exactly are you talking about?

Preply "found that the length of time someone has lived in the city can influence how others perceive their rudeness."

So you can put that debate to rest with your friend who recently moved here: "Transplant residents are also thought to be more rude by both natives and transplants themselves," the study says.

But it's not just us, right?

Oh, no! We're in good (terrible) company here in Florida.

Tampa is the third-rudest city of the dozens ranked, with a score of 8.88.

And we bumped Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the no. 2 spot with its score of 9.12. It came in as rudest in 2022. But that was when Miami wasn't even included in the survey.

Alright, well, who's the least rude?

San Diego, Calif. scored a 6.68 on the rudeness scale. Minneapolis, Minn., did a bit better at 6.35. And Omaha, Neb., clinched the title of least rude with a 6.24.

"Whether you’re experiencing the midwestern charm in Omaha, neighborly support in Minneapolis, or the friendly laid-back reputation of those in San Diego, these cities generally exhibit a welcoming atmosphere for locals and visitors," Preply concludes.

So what do you think? Are you packing your bags, or is politeness overrated anyway?

For those who aren't going anywhere but would like to live a little more neighborly, Preply suggests remembering that you're not the center of the universe.

"So the next time you find yourself out in public, whether it is in the city you call home or while visiting somewhere else, try taking time to learn more about their language and cultural differences," Preply says. "Even if you are not directly rude to someone, the things you do and say while around other people can still cause others to feel annoyed or even uncomfortable. So whether you are a resident of a rude city or not, remember to be aware of those around you."