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Rankings for the 3rd Annual Combos "America's Manliest Cities"

The Combos® brand understands that Americans take great pride in their hometowns. This spurred the idea for the first formal study on the manliest cities in America in 2009 – specifically titled “America’s Manliest Cities.”

This year marks the third annual “America’s Manliest Cities” study, which provides updated rankings using revised and new criteria, outlined in this findings report. The findings offer a fun way to let the men of America know exactly where they stand against their brethren coast-to-coast.

The study was commissioned with Sperling’s BestPlaces during the second quarter of 2011. Founded by Bert Sperling, Sperling’s BestPlaces is the ideal partner for the Combos® “America’s Manliest Cities” study. For more than 18 years, Sperling’s BestPlaces has been analyzing data about people and places, and rating them for major publications and media outlets. Sperling’s BestPlaces is known for providing a high level of accurate, up-to-date information in a useful and entertaining format.

*Change from 2010 rankings follows each city

Nashville, TN (? 3 spots) Charlotte, NC (? 1 spot) Oklahoma City, OK (? 22 spots) Memphis, TN (? 24 spots) Columbia, SC (? 8 spots) Cleveland, OH (? 9 spots) Birmingham, AL (? 11 spots) Milwaukee, WI (? 2 spots) Houston, TX (? 15 spots) St. Louis, MO (? 2 spots) Indianapolis, IN (? 3 spots) Toledo, OH (? 14 spots) Louisville, KY (? 16 spots) Cincinnati, OH (? 6 spots) Kansas City, MO (? 12 spots) Pittsburgh, PA (? 21 spots) New Orleans, LA (? 5 spots) Columbus, OH (? 16 spots) Salt Lake City, UT (? 2 spots) Philadelphia, PA (? 10 spots) Dallas, TX (? 18 spots) Richmond, VA (?1 spot) Atlanta, GA (? 9 spots) Chicago, IL (? 17 spots) Detroit, MI (? 6 spots)

Dayton, OH (? 8 spots) Providence, RI (?6 spots) Baltimore, MD (? 23 spots) Grand Rapids, MI (? 9 spots) Orlando, FL (? 14 spots) Denver, CO (? 20 spots) Phoenix, AZ (?9 spots) Jacksonville, FL (? 3 spots) Buffalo, NY (? 12 spots) New York, NY (No change) Minneapolis, MN (? 9 spots) Portland, OR (? 13 spots) Las Vegas, NV (? 3 spots) Tampa, FL (? 5 spots) Harrisburg, PA (? 26 spots) Seattle, WA (? 11 spots) Washington, DC (? 33 spot) Sacramento, CA (? 2 spots) Miami Beach, FL (? 5 spots) Boston, MA (? 14 spots) Rochester, NY (? 6 spots) Oakland, CA (No change) San Francisco, CA (? 5 spots) San Diego, CA (? 7 spots) Los Angeles, CA(? 2 spots)

Methodology

The rankings were determined using 50 of the largest metropolitan areas as defined by the United States Census Bureau, which includes a central city and the surrounding county (or counties). All data was adjusted by the current population to arrive at ‘per capita’ figures, providing an accurate comparison between cities of varying sizes.

Each metro area in the study received points for each of the criteria based on its relation to the other cities’ scores in that data category. To maintain consistency throughout the study, the most significant data element for any given category (that which implies the conditions most conducive or indicative of “manliness”) received a score of 100 points. The data element for any given category that is associated with the least amount of “manliness” received a score of 0 points.

The remaining cities were assigned point values between 0 and 100 based on their data elements’ percentage of the range between the most desirable score in that category and the least desirable score in that category. In this way, the point values assigned to cities preserve the proportionality of the data points in relation to the data set while providing a common point scale.

Category scores were weighted and aggregated to determine an overall “Manliest Cities” index for each metro area.

Manly Categories / Criteria*
Below are the broader categories on which each city’s manliness was measured along with a brief description of the criteria that went into each category.

Sports --- In addition to the number of professional major league sports teams in a city (football, baseball, basketball and hockey), the number of nearby NASCAR tracks and racing events were taken into account along with the quality of pro sports, based on ESPN’s “Ultimate Standings” fan survey and “The Donovan Index” (www.donovanindex.com).

Manly Lifestyle --- Various consumer behaviors in each city were analyzed, such as the number of pickups and motorcycles registered in the city, rodeo events, sports TV viewing, fishing and home improvement.

Concentration of Manly Retail Stores --- The number of manly stores and businesses were evaluated for each city, including BBQ and chicken wing restaurants, steak houses, sports bars, western/cowboy apparel stores, Harley Davidson dealerships and home improvement stores.

Manly Occupations --- The number of construction workers, police officers, firefighters, and EMT personnel in each city were analyzed, using the “Occupational Employment Statistics” survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Board of Manliness” Rankings (NEW category this year) --- For the first time in the study’s history, Combos® incorporated personal rankings of 10 individuals into the study results. This Board of Manliness ranked the 50 cities in the study and research expert Bert Sperling incorporated their composite ranking of the cities into a category weighted into the final rankings. The Board of Manliness includes publicly-known individuals such as actor and former bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, former professional wrestler Sgt. Slaughter, baseball hall of famer Rollie Fingers, comedian and actress Judy Gold, world beard champion Jack Passion and lumberjack champion Mike Sullivan. In addition to the public figures, the Board includes four everyday Americans – a retired Navy Seal, a school teacher, a police officer and a mother of four boys.

Salty Snack Sales --- Total sales for the “Salty Snack/Cracker” retail category were measured for each city. Combos® is a product in this business category.

“Manly Kryptonite” Category / Emasculating Criteria*
Cities also lost points for an overabundance of emasculating criteria – factors that reduced a city’s manliness rating. These factors included the number of home furnishing and décor stores, cafés/coffee shops, sushi restaurants, “modern” male apparel stores and cupcake shops. Cities with higher concentrations of these types of stores lost rating points.

*For rankings broken out in each of the categories, please see the below.

Sports

New York, NY Chicago, IL Los Angeles, CA Boston, MA Dallas, TX Atlanta, GA Detroit, MI Pittsburgh, PA Oakland, CA Denver, CO Miami, FL Philadelphia, PA Tampa, FL Washington, DC St. Louis, MO Minneapolis, MN Houston, TX Phoenix, AZ San Francisco, CA Cleveland, OH Baltimore, MD Indianapolis, IN Cincinnati, OH Kansas City, MO Milwaukee, WI

New Orleans, LA Seattle, WA Buffalo, NY San Diego, CA Portland, OR Salt Lake City, UT Nashville, TN Charlotte, NC Oklahoma City, OK Memphis, TN Columbus, OH Orlando, FL Jacksonville, FL Sacramento, CA Columbia, SC Birmingham, AL Toledo, OH Louisville, KY Richmond, VA Dayton, OH Providence, RI Grand Rapids, MI Las Vegas, NV Harrisburg, PA Rochester, NY

Manly Lifestyle

Oklahoma City, OK Nashville, TN Memphis, TN Columbia, SC Toledo, OH Charlotte, NC Cincinnati, OH Grand Rapids, MI Salt Lake City, UT Louisville, KY Birmingham, AL Providence, RI Dayton, OH Pittsburgh, PA Cleveland, OH Philadelphia, PA St. Louis, MO Columbus, OH Richmond, VA Indianapolis, IN Kansas City, MO Jacksonville, FL Portland, OR Atlanta, GA Houston, TX

Las Vegas, NV New Orleans, LA Detroit, MI Milwaukee, WI Dallas, TX Minneapolis, MN Phoenix, AZ Orlando, FL Harrisburg, PA Sacramento, CA Tampa, FL Miami, FL Denver, CO Baltimore, MD Rochester, NY Seattle, WA Chicago, IL San Diego, CA Buffalo, NY Washington, D.C. Oakland, CA Los Angeles, CA New York, NY Boston, MA San Francisco, CA

Concentration of Manly Retail Stores

Nashville, TN Denver, CO Orlando, FL Birmingham, AL Oklahoma City, OK Dallas, TX Columbia, SC Jacksonville, FL Memphis, TN Charlotte, NC New Orleans, LA Atlanta, GA Phoenix, AZ Houston, TX Kansas City, MO Louisville, KY Columbus, OH Milwaukee, WI Las Vegas, NV Tampa, FL Toledo, OH St. Louis, MO Dayton, OH Harrisburg, PA Cincinnati, OH

Richmond, VA Indianapolis, IN Grand Rapids, MI Buffalo, NY Minneapolis, MN Sacramento, CA Oakland, CA Cleveland, OH Seattle, WA Providence, RI Portland, OR Salt Lake City, UT Miami, FL Baltimore, MD Chicago, IL San Diego, CA Philadelphia, PA Detroit, MI Boston, MA Washington, DC Los Angeles, CA Pittsburgh, PA Rochester, NY San Francisco, CA New York, NY

Manly Occupations

Baltimore, MD Milwaukee, WI Chicago, IL Charlotte, NC New Orleans, LA Birmingham, AL Indianapolis, IN Houston, TX Cleveland, OH Kansas City, MO New York, NY Orlando, FL Washington, D.C. Columbia, SC Salt Lake City, UT Memphis, TN Richmond, VA Seattle, WA Nashville, TN Columbus, OH St. Louis, MO Oklahoma City, OK Louisville, KY San Francisco, CA Pittsburgh, PA

Philadelphia, PA Toledo, OH Sacramento, CA Buffalo, NY Denver, CO Dallas, TX Providence, RI Phoenix, AZ Harrisburg, PA Boston, MA Atlanta, GA Jacksonville, FL Cincinnati, OH Miami, FL Dayton, OH Las Vegas, NV Portland, OR Detroit, MI Minneapolis, MN Rochester, NY Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL Oakland, CA San Diego, CA Los Angeles, CA Grand Rapids, MI

Board of Manliness Composite Rankings

Pittsburgh, PA Detroit, MI Dallas, TX Charlotte, NC Milwaukee, WI Buffalo, NY Chicago, IL Nashville, TN Oklahoma City, OK Denver, CO Boston, MA Houston, TX Memphis, TN St. Louis, MO Indianapolis, IN Cincinnati, OH Cleveland, OH Philadelphia, PA New York, NY Kansas City, MO Atlanta, GA Minneapolis, MN Louisville, KY Baltimore, MD Toledo, OH

Columbus, OH Las Vegas, NV New Orleans, LA Richmond, VA Phoenix, AZ Harrisburg, PA Birmingham, AL Rochester, NY Grand Rapids, MI Oakland, CA Columbia, SC Seattle, WA Washington, DC Providence, RI San Diego, CA Salt Lake City, UT Portland, OR Dayton, OH Jacksonville, FL Los Angeles, CA Orlando, FL Sacramento, CA Miami, FL Tampa, FL San Francisco, CA

Salty Snack Sales

Grand Rapids, MI Cincinnati, OH Louisville, KY Columbus, OH Boston, MA Harrisburg, PA Toledo, OH Buffalo, NY Dayton, OH St. Louis, MO Detroit, MI Philadelphia, PA Pittsburgh, PA Kansas City, MO Indianapolis, IN Milwaukee, WI Seattle, WA Baltimore, MD Washington, DC Rochester, NY Denver, CO Richmond, VA Memphis, TN Portland, OR Charlotte, NC

Columbia, SC Minneapolis, MN Tampa, FL Phoenix, AZ Atlanta, GA Nashville, TN Jacksonville, FL Providence, RI Orlando, FL Houston, TX Salt Lake City, UT San Diego, CA Miami, FL Cleveland, OH Chicago, IL Las Vegas, NV Dallas, TX Los Angeles, CA Oakland, CA New York, NY Sacramento, CA San Francisco, CA Birmingham, AL Oklahoma City, OK New Orleans, LA

Manly "Kryptonite" / Emasculating Criteria

For this category, cities ranked highest were docked the most points for having fewer masculine characteristics in their metro areas. For the third straight year, San Francisco was ranked first and got the highest penalty for having the most unmanly factors in its metro area.

San Francisco, CA Boston, MA Oakland, CA Denver, CO Seattle, WA San Diego, CA Los Angeles, CA Sacramento, CA Washington, DC Orlando, FL New York, NY Las Vegas, NV Minneapolis, MN Miami, FL Baltimore, MD Portland, OR Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Harrisburg, PA Salt Lake City, UT Dallas, TX Jacksonville, FL Richmond, VA Kansas City, MO Philadelphia, PA

Phoenix, AZ Charlotte, NC Buffalo, NY Indianapolis, IN New Orleans, LA Columbus, OH Grand Rapids, MI Pittsburgh, PA Houston, TX St. Louis, MO Birmingham, AL Tampa, FL Milwaukee, WI Providence, RI Memphis, TN Rochester, NY Dayton, OH Cincinnati, OH Louisville, KY Nashville, TN Cleveland, OH Detroit, MI Toledo, OH Oklahoma City, OK Columbia, SC

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