New research reveals the US cities that are best at password security, with Minneapolis topping the list.
A study by password manager Dashlane scores cities based on several metrics, including average password strength and average number of reused passwords.
The cities best at password security are:
- Minneapolis, MN
- Seattle, WA
- San Francisco – Oakland, CA
- Detroit, MI
- Chicago, IL
- Denver, CO
- New York, NY
- Saint Louis, MO
- Washington, DC
- Miami – Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Riverside, CA
- Boston, MA
- Philadelphia, PA
- San Diego, CA
- Tampa – St. Petersburg, FL
- Los Angeles, CA
- Dallas, TX
- Phoenix, AZ
- Houston, TX
- Atlanta, GA
Mess With Texas
Things might be bigger in Texas, but not when it comes to passwords: All of the Texas locations scored near the bottom in both rankings, the study said.
NorCal vs. SoCal
According to the study, NorCal officially takes cybersecurity bragging rights as their scores were dramatically better across the board. The trend does not follow a straight North-South progression, however, as San Diego came out on top of LA.
Southern Discomfort
Four out of the six lowest-scoring cities hail from the south: Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, and Tampa.
People Power
Despite massive populations, both Chicagoland and the Big Apple received Top 5 marks.
Dashlane researchers were curious about what proximity to power players across industries and institutions might suggest about the security habits of residents. As such, the team examined 20 cities that are home to a variety of prominent companies and organizations:
- Fort Meade, MD
- Cupertino, CA
- Redwood City, CA
- Los Gatos, CA
- Sunnyvale, CA
- Menlo Park, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Mountain View, CA
- Omaha, NE
- Bentonville, AR
- Oak Brook, IL
- Arlington, VA
- Venice, CA
- Redmond, WA
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Langley, VA
- Deerfield, IL
- Irving, TX
- Round Rock, TX
- Armonk, NY
It found that many cities in the tech-savvy Silicon Valley, including Cupertino and Redwood City, claimed seven of the top spots.
There is more of a spread with cities that are home to large government agencies. Fort Meade, MD, headquarters of the NSA, topped the list, while Arlington, VA was middle of the pack, and nearby Langley, VA scored in the bottom quarter.
