U.S. States and Cities with the
Most Discoverable Public Bathrooms

Clean, accessible public restrooms aren’t a luxury, they’re a basic need. Yet across the U.S., there's growing concern over just how few truly public bathrooms are available. These are free-to-use facilities that anyone can access and that aren’t attached to private businesses such as restaurants, shops, and malls.

This shortage affects everyone: commuters, travelers, parents, delivery workers... But it’s especially tough for people with conditions like incontinence, who depend on quick bathroom access to manage their needs and stay comfortable.

Technology plays a big role in how accessible these bathrooms really are. In our increasingly digital world, being able to locate something on map apps matters. Even if a public restroom exists, if it isn’t listed online or not tagged properly, it can be very difficult to find, particularly when you’re in a hurry. With public restrooms already seeming limited in many places, being able to find them online has become even more important.

To better understand the scale of the problem, TENA conducted research to find out which U.S. states and cities have the most discoverable public bathrooms. We scored each location based on four key factors:

Curious to know how your state or city ranks? Let’s take a look.

Top 3 States with the Highest Overall Score

• Wyoming
• Montana
• Hawaii

We calculated an overall score by adding up each state’s performance across the four different categories. States that ranked high here are likely to offer some of the best overall public restroom experiences.

Wyoming takes the top spot with a score of 44 out of 50, earning 9 for discoverability, 10 for density, 8 for cleanliness, 7 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 10 for wheelchair-accessible density. For a state with a relatively small population, it has a notably high number of public restrooms that are both easy to find and widely accessible.

Montana follows with an overall score of 42, scoring 9 for discoverability, 9 for density, 8 for cleanliness, 7 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 9 for wheelchair-accessible density. Montana’s strong scores across the board suggest a reliable and fairly well-maintained network of public restrooms. In third place is Hawaii, with a total score of 40, made up of 10 for discoverability, 8 for density, 4 for cleanliness, 9 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 9 for wheelchair-accessible density.

Hawaii stands out for the high number of public bathrooms that are easy to locate on free-to-use map apps.

Top 3 States with the Highest Bathroom Density Score

• Wyoming
• Montana
• Hawaii

Density was calculated based on the number of discoverable public bathrooms on map apps per 100,000 people. States with the highest per capita counts were given a score of 10, while those with the lowest received a score of 1.

Wyoming, the state with the smallest population in the U.S., tops the list, with a population of 590,169 and 2 bathrooms per 100,000 people. This earns it a perfect density score of 10, making it the state with the highest density of bathrooms despite its size.

Next is Montana, the 8th smallest U.S. state, with a population of 1,143,160. It offers 1.01 bathrooms per 100,000 people, resulting in a density score of 9. Hawaii, the 11th smallest state in the U.S, comes in third with 0.83 bathrooms per 100,000 people and a density score of 8, based on a population of 1,450,900. This suggests that smaller states may be doing a better job of tagging and maintaining the visibility of their public bathroom facilities than their larger counterparts.

Top 3 States with the Highest Cleanliness Score

• North Dakota
• New Mexico
• Alaska

To find out which states offer the cleanest options, we looked at the total number of publicly available reviews and scored each state based on the percentage of 4- and 5-star ratings.

North Dakota leads the list with 17 out of 18 reviews rated 4 stars or higher. That’s a 94% rate and a score of 10. New Mexico follows with 493 out of 563 reviews (88%) rated 4 stars or more. Alaska matches that 88%, with 15 out of 17 reviews hitting the 4-star mark or above. Both New Mexico and Alaska received a cleanliness score of 9. Although these states may have fewer discoverable public bathrooms, the ones that are available appear to be well maintained.

Top 3 States with the Highest Wheelchair-Accessible Bathroom Discoverability Score

• New York
• Florida
• Texas

Next, we ranked states based on the number of wheelchair-accessible public bathrooms discoverable on map apps. New York, Florida, and Texas lead the way, each with 120 accessible bathrooms, earning them a score of 10. However, since these states include some of the country’s largest cities, the current cap of 120 listings on many map apps may limit accuracy. For tools that so many depend on every day, ensuring accurate listings for basic facilities like restrooms is a vital part of accessibility.

Top 3 States with the Highest Wheelchair-Accessible Bathroom Density Score

• Wyoming
• Hawaii 
• Montana

The top three states in this category mirror those with the highest overall bathroom density. Wyoming leads once again, with a population of 590,169 and an impressive 16.27 wheelchair-accessible bathrooms per 100,000 people, earning a density score of 10.

Next is Hawaii, with a population of 1,450,900 and 7.72 accessible public restrooms per 100,000 people. Close behind is Montana, with a population of 1,143,160 and 7.7 accessible restrooms per 100,000. Both Hawaii and Montana earned a score of 9.

This suggests that in these states, the majority of publicly listed restrooms are also marked as wheelchair accessible, which is a positive sign.

Bottom 3 States with the Lowest Overall Score

• Kentucky
• New Hampshire
• Georgia

On the flipside, these states received the lowest overall scores across discoverability, density, accessibility, and cleanliness. While this doesn’t mean public restrooms are entirely unavailable, it may suggest more limited coverage or consistency when it comes to finding and accessing them.

Kentucky ranks the lowest with a total score of 10 out of 50, scoring 2 for discoverability, 1 for density, 3 for cleanliness, 2 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 2 for wheelchair-accessible density. These numbers may reflect a shortage of publicly listed facilities, or a lack of visibility on commonly used map apps.

New Hampshire follows with an overall score of 11, scoring just 1 for discoverability, 2 for density, 4 for cleanliness, 1 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 3 for wheelchair-accessible density. With particularly low scores on discoverability, there may be room not just for more facilities, but also to improve how consistently they’re listed in digital tools people rely on to find them.

Georgia comes in third from the bottom with an overall score of 14, earning 3 for discoverability, 1 for density, 5 for cleanliness, 3 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 2 for wheelchair-accessible density. A low density score suggests that available restrooms might not be evenly distributed.

Local Rankings

Top 3 Cities with the Highest Overall Score

• Pierre, South Dakota
• San Francisco, California
• Seattle, Washington

Now we move on to cities. We selected the three most populous cities in each state to include in the list. Using the same method as we did for states, we calculated an overall score by adding up each city’s performance across all categories.

Pierre in South Dakota comes out on top, with scores of 6 for discoverability, 10 for density, 10 for cleanliness, 5 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 10 for wheelchair-accessible density, giving it a total score of 41 out of 50. Despite its small population, Pierre excels in public restroom density and cleanliness, suggesting that even smaller cities can provide a robust public restroom infrastructure.

On the other end of the spectrum, San Francisco, home to a much larger population, follows close behind with a total score of 40. It scored 10 on discoverability, 7 on density, 6 on cleanliness, 10 on wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 7 on wheelchair-accessible density. In third place is Seattle with a total score of 37. It scored 9 on discoverability, 7 on density, 5 on cleanliness, 9 on wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 7 on wheelchair-accessible density.

Cities like San Francisco and Seattle show how larger urban areas, despite their complexity, can still prioritize bathroom discoverability and accessibility. In places with constant movement and high foot traffic, that kind of visibility becomes even more important.

Top 3 Cities with the Highest Overall Bathroom Discoverability Score

• San Francisco, California
• New York, New York
• Los Angeles, California

These cities ranked highest in the number of discoverable public bathrooms listed on map apps.

New York City and Los Angeles each have 120 listed public bathrooms, earning a perfect score of 10. San Francisco also scored 10, with 119 listed public bathrooms. New York City and Los Angeles are the two most populous cities the U.S., so it’s likely that the actual number of public bathrooms exceeds what’s currently listed. However, as we discussed before, due to listing limits on map apps, only up to 120 locations are visible. This technical cap limits visibility and highlights the need for improved systems that can reflect a more accurate count.

Top 3 Cities with the Highest Bathroom Density Score

• Pierre, South Dakota
• Helena, Montana
• Hilo, Hawaii

When we looked at the number of public bathrooms relative to city population, Pierre, South Dakota ranked highest. With a population of 13,762 and 16 listed public bathrooms, that’s 116.26 bathrooms per 100,000 people, earning a perfect density score of 10.

Next is Helena, Montana, with 72.33 bathrooms per 100,000 people and a density score of 9. In third place is Hilo, Hawaii, offering 34.89 bathrooms per 100,000 people and a score of 8.

 One commonality between these top three cities is their smaller population size: all under 50,000. This may make it easier to identify and tag public bathrooms on map apps compared to larger cities with more complex infrastructures. Still, ensuring visibility in bigger cities remains just as important, given the higher demand and greater number of people navigating public spaces daily.

Top 3 Cities with Highest Cleanliness Score

• Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• Newark, Delaware
• Carson City, Nevada

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania takes the top spot for cleanliness, based on the percentage of 4- and 5-star reviews on map apps. Out of 27 total reviews, every single one met the criteria, earning Harrisburg a perfect cleanliness score of 10.

Newark, New Jersey also scored a 10, with 14 reviews, all rated 4 stars or higher. Carson City, Nevada is third on the list, with 9 qualifying reviews and a perfect score of 10 as well. Although the overall number of reviews is small, the vast majority are ranked 4 stars and above, indicating a great overall experience.

Top 3 Cities with the Highest Wheelchair-Accessible Discoverability Score

• Los Angeles, California 
• New York City, New York 
• San Francisco, California

Los Angeles leads the way, with 119 out of 120 listed public restrooms marked as wheelchair-accessible, earning a score of 10. San Francisco follows closely with 115 accessible restrooms and New York City with 113. Both cities also received a score of 10. Given their size and infrastructure, it makes sense that these major cities have solid accessibility, but it’s still good to see it reflected in the data.

Top 3 Cities with the Highest Wheelchair-Accessible Density Score

• Pierre, South Dakota
• Helena, Montana
• Hilo, Hawaii

When looking at the number of wheelchair-accessible public restrooms relative to population, the list is the same as the overall density ranking. Three smaller cities stood out. Pierre leads with 79.93 accessible bathrooms per 100,000 residents, based on a population of 13,762. That earns it a perfect score of 10.

Helena comes next with 36.17 accessible bathrooms per 100,000 people, and a population of 35,944, earning a score of 9. Hilo follows with 30.79 accessible bathrooms per 100,000 people, based on a population of 48,718, and a score of 8.

Bottom 3 Cities with the Lowest Overall Score

• Crantson, Rhode Island
• Essex, Vermont
• Evansville, Indiana

At the bottom of the list with the lowest overall scores are Cranston, Rhode Island, Essex, Vermont, and Evansville, Indiana. All showed no discoverable public bathrooms on map apps, meaning they scored a 0 across all categories. While this doesn’t necessarily mean there are no public restrooms in these cities, it does highlight the impact of missing or inaccurate tags. It’s a reminder of how essential proper listing is for helping people quickly find facilities when they need them.

This data highlights a growing challenge: public bathroom access in the U.S. is limited in many areas, and even where restrooms do exist, they’re not always easy to find. When facilities aren't properly tagged on platforms like map apps, it can create an added barrier, especially for people who rely on quick, reliable access. Clean, accessible public restrooms help make communities more welcoming and functional for everyone.

Methodology

We have compiled a list of all 50 U.S. states, along with three most populous cities from each state, for a total of 150 cities. For each state and city, we have provided 4 ranking metrics with scores out of 10, the data used, and methodology to score which has been provided below:
Public bathroom discoverability score – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable public bathrooms on Google Maps and CityMapper in each state/city. 120 (or the maximum map apps shows) was a 10, while below 20 was a 1. Scores were differentiated based on amounts of discoverable toilets in increments of 10 e.g. 70-79 toilets was a 7 score.
Public bathroom density score – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable public toilets on map apps per 100,000 people. 2 discoverable public bathrooms 100,000 people received a score of 10, while less than 0.05 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a score of 1. Scores were assigned in increments of 0.5 e.g. 0.5 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a 7 score. Scores were decided in increments of 0.1 for the majority of states and cities, while those with higher scores than 1 were awarded in increments of 1 to allow us to differentiate higher representation from much lower gradations.
Bathroom cleanliness score – This was assigned based on the percentage of 4* reviews on map apps for each state/city. Where 90%+ of all reviews were 4* or above, a 10 was awarded, while a 1 was awarded for those less than 40% 4* or above reviews. Scores were differentiated based on % of total reviews at 4* or above in increments of 5% e.g. 70-74% 4* reviews was a 7 score.
Discoverability score of accessible public bathrooms – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable accessible public bathrooms on map apps in each state/city. 120 (or the maximum map apps shows) was a 10, while below 20 was a 1. Scores were differentiated based on amounts of discoverable toilets in increments of 15 e.g. 85-100 toilets was a 7 score.
Density score of accessible public bathrooms – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable accessible public toilets on map apps per 100,000 people. 10+ discoverable public bathrooms 100,000 people received a score of 10, while less than 0.2 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a score of 1. Scores were assigned in increments of 0.5-1 e.g. 3-3.9 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a 7 score.

Sources

Population data: https://worldpopulationreview.com/
Number of bathrooms: https://www.google.com/maps/search/ / https://citymapper.com/
Google reviews: https://www.google.com/maps/search/