Annual Perfect Weather Index rankings for over 37,000 U.S. cities — scored across all 365 days of 2025 using National Weather Service forecast data. Scores combine temperature, sunshine, humidity, wind, and precipitation into a single 1–10 rating.
Darker orange indicates higher year-round comfort. California's central coast and the desert Southwest led the country. The northern interior and Great Lakes region scored lowest.
Annual PWI scores across the contiguous U.S. based on all 365 days of 2025 at 2.5km grid resolution. Darker = higher year-round comfort.
Cities ranked by annual PWI score reflecting year-round comfort across all 365 days of 2025. Scores are not limited to peak season.
| # | City | State | Population | Annual PWI | Perfect Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Sur | California | 1865 | 8.1 | 37 |
| 2 | Carmel Valley | California | 6189 | 8.1 | 27 |
| 3 | Wheeler Springs | California | 50 | 8.1 | 26 |
| 4 | Montecito | California | 8,965 | 8.1 | 25 |
| 5 | Carpinteria | California | 13,040 | 8.0 | 25 |
| 6 | Goleta | California | 29,888 | 8.0 | 28 |
| 7 | Summerland | California | 1,448 | 8.0 | 24 |
| 8 | Soquel | California | 9,644 | 8.0 | 21 |
| 9 | Santa Barbara | California | 88,410 | 8.0 | 21 |
| 10 | Scotts Valley | California | 11,580 | 8.0 | 25 |
| 11 | Corralitos | California | 2,326 | 8.0 | 22 |
| 12 | Interlaken | California | 7,321 | 8.0 | 20 |
| 13 | Bonny Doon | California | 2,678 | 8.0 | 37 |
| 14 | Freedom | California | 3,070 | 8.0 | 20 |
| 15 | Mount Baldy | California | — | 7.9 | — |
Showing top 15. Use the search tool below to find any U.S. city.
A perfect weather day is defined as a day scoring 9.5 or higher on the Perfect Weather Index — conditions most people would describe as genuinely ideal. This ranking shows which cities had the most such days in 2025, regardless of their overall annual PWI score.
High-elevation communities in the Sierra Nevada dominated this list, where summer days are frequently cool, clear, and dry. Note that a city can rank highly here while having a lower annual PWI — mountain locations often have exceptional summer days but harsher winters that pull down the full-year average.
| # | City | State | Perfect Days | Annual PWI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilsonia | California | 57 | 7.7 |
| 2 | Shaver Lake | California | 52 | 7.7 |
| 3 | Buckhorn | California | 48 | 7.8 |
| 3 | Foresthill | California | 48 | 7.7 |
| 3 | Big Creek | California | 48 | 7.6 |
| 3 | Lakeshore | California | 48 | 7.4 |
| 7 | Pioneer | California | 47 | 7.8 |
| 7 | Grizzly Flats | California | 47 | 7.7 |
| 7 | Sierra Village | California | 47 | 7.7 |
| 10 | Clipper Mills | California | 46 | 7.6 |
Perfect days = days scoring PWI 89.5 or higher. Use the search tool to find perfect day counts for any U.S. city.
The highest annual PWI score recorded in each state during 2025, among cities with recorded population. Colors match the Perfect Weather Index map scale.
Alphabetical order. Colors match the Perfect Weather Index map scale.
Search any U.S. city or two-letter state abbreviation to see its 2025 annual PWI score and perfect weather day count. Over 37,000 locations included.
Search your city to see how it ranked across all of 2025.
The rankings above reflect a broadly comfortable definition of perfect weather. If your ideal conditions differ — whether you prefer cooler temps, don't mind wind, or want to filter by chance of rain — try the custom weather tool.
Set your ideal temperature range, humidity tolerance, wind, and rain preferences — then see which U.S. cities best match your conditions today.
What is the Perfect Weather Index?
The PWI rates daily weather on a 1–10 scale using five forecast factors: temperature, sunshine and cloud cover, humidity, wind speed, and precipitation probability. A score of 8 or higher reflects an exceptionally comfortable day. Scores below 4 indicate heat, storms, or other conditions that significantly reduce outdoor comfort.
How is the annual score calculated?
Each city's annual PWI reflects its average daily comfort across all 365 days of 2025 — not just peak season or favorable months. A location scoring 8.0 annually maintained excellent weather conditions throughout the full year, making the annual score a meaningful measure of year-round livability.
What is a perfect weather day?
A perfect weather day is any day scoring 9.5 or higher on the Perfect Weather Index. These are days with comfortable temperatures, minimal wind and clouds, low humidity, and no precipitation — conditions most people would describe as genuinely ideal. The perfect days count shows how many such days each city experienced across all of 2025.
Data source and coverage
All scores are derived from National Weather Service forecast data processed at 2.5km grid resolution and spatially joined to named cities and towns. The lower 48 contiguous states are covered. Alaska and Hawaii are not included in this dataset.