Chicago Wins Best Big City, 10th Straight Year

Condé Nast Traveler readers named Chicago the Best Big City in the U.S. for the 10th consecutive year on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. The streak dates to 2017. Nearly 800,000 readers took part in the magazine’s 39th annual survey. Milwaukee ranked No. 5. The top 10 were Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New York City, Milwaukee, Oakland, Portland, Nashville, New Orleans and San Diego. Kristen Reynolds said, "This historic recognition belongs to the entire city of Chicago." She also said: "These are people that know travel. They've been all around the world." The city proclaimed Oct. 10, 2026, Best Big City Day. Choose Chicago planned a Riverwalk music set, a Blackhawks activation, a limited-edition Goose Island beer and other local business tie-ins. Chicago welcomed 56.8 million visitors in 2025. Visitor spending generated a record $21.5 billion and supported 135,360 local jobs. More than 2,100 tourism-related jobs were added last year. Rated left and right coverage did not disagree on the streak, survey figures. The Oct. 10 events are next.