How Does Your City Compare on AAM Readiness?

A data-driven readiness comparison for city planners, airport authorities, and state economic development agencies evaluating their position in the Advanced Air Mobility landscape.

CITIES SCORED

Continuously updated

NATIONAL AVERAGE

EARLY tier — most cities not ready

STATES WITH ENACTED AAM LAW

CA, TX, FL, UT

CITIES IN NASCENT TIER

40% of tracked markets

Cities are being asked to prepare for eVTOL operations without a standardized way to measure their readiness. AirIndex scores each city across 7 factors — legislation, pilot programs, vertiports, operators, zoning, regulatory posture, and weather infrastructure — using primary source data from FAA filings, state legislatures, and federal program records. The result is a specific, actionable gap analysis that tells planners exactly which decisions move the score.

Complete Market Rankings

All 25 tracked U.S. metros, ranked by AirIndex Readiness Score. Every score is traceable to primary source evidence. Every change is timestamped and auditable.

#	City	Score	Tier	State Legislation	Active Pilot	Active Operators	Approved Vertiport	Vertiport Zoning	Regulatory Posture	Weather Infrastructure
1	Los Angeles, CA	95	ADVANCED	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	◐
2	Dallas, TX	95	ADVANCED	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	◐
3	Miami, FL	80	ADVANCED	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	◐
4	Orlando, FL	80	ADVANCED	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	◐
5	San Francisco, CA	75	ADVANCED	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	◐	◐
6	New York, NY	55	MODERATE	—	✓	✓	✓	—	◐	◐
7	Phoenix, AZ	50	MODERATE	◐	✓	✓	—	—	◐	◐
8	Houston, TX	50	MODERATE	✓	✓	—	—	—	✓	◐
9	Austin, TX	50	MODERATE	✓	✓	—	—	—	✓	◐
10	San Diego, CA	50	MODERATE	✓	—	—	—	✓	✓	◐
11	Tampa, FL	45	EARLY	✓	—	✓	—	—	◐	◐
12	San Antonio, TX	45	EARLY	✓	—	✓	—	—	◐	◐
13	Cincinnati, OH	40	EARLY	◐	—	✓	—	—	✓	◐
14	Chicago, IL	35	EARLY	◐	—	✓	—	—	◐	◐
15	Salt Lake City, UT	35	EARLY	✓	—	—	—	—	✓	◐
16	Las Vegas, NV	25	NASCENT	—	—	—	✓	—	◐	◐
17	Charlotte, NC	25	NASCENT	—	✓	—	—	—	◐	◐
18	Columbus, OH	25	NASCENT	◐	—	—	—	—	✓	◐
19	Atlanta, GA	10	NASCENT	—	—	—	—	—	◐	◐
20	Nashville, TN	10	NASCENT	—	—	—	—	—	◐	◐
21	Denver, CO	10	NASCENT	—	—	—	—	—	◐	◐
22	Seattle, WA	10	NASCENT	—	—	—	—	—	◐	◐
23	Boston, MA	10	NASCENT	—	—	—	—	—	◐	◐
24	Minneapolis, MN	10	NASCENT	—	—	—	—	—	◐	◐
25	Washington D.C., DC	0	NASCENT	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

✓ = full points ◐ = partial — = zero

Factors: State Legislation (20%), Active Pilot (15%), Operators (15%), Vertiport (15%), Zoning (15%), Posture (10%), Weather (10%). Full methodology at airindex.io/methodology.

Five Actions That Move the Score

Most of the scoring gap between ADVANCED and NASCENT tier cities comes down to specific, city-level decisions that do not require federal approval or private capital:

1. Enact state AAM enabling legislation — +10 to +20 points.
Owner: State legislature. Only 4 states have done this.

2. Adopt vertiport as a permitted use in zoning code — +15 points.
Owner: City council. Zoning amendment, typically 6-month process.

3. Replace 'helipad' with FAA-defined terminology in city code — +5 to +8 points.
Owner: City attorney / council. Terminology alignment with AC 150/5390-2D.

4. Reference NFPA 418 in municipal fire code — Improves regulatory posture.
Owner: Fire marshal / building dept. Standard of care alignment.

5. Require FAA airspace determination in permit process — Improves regulatory posture.
Owner: Planning department. Federal compliance integration.

Real Example: From NASCENT to MODERATE in Four City-Level Actions

Starting Score	Action	Score After
25 / NASCENT	City Council enacts vertiport as permitted use	40 / EARLY
40 / EARLY	Replace 'helipad' with FAA terminology in code	+8 pts
	Reference NFPA 418 in fire code	Posture improvement
	All four ordinance gaps closed	52 / MODERATE

Four city-level actions. No state legislation required. No private capital required. Score moves from NASCENT to MODERATE — crossing the threshold where operators begin evaluating the market.

Complimentary Market Snapshot — AirIndex will prepare a one-page readiness snapshot for your city at no cost. Current score, factor breakdown, ordinance audit results, and the three highest-impact actions your city council can take. Contact sales@airindex.io or visit airindex.io/contact to request yours.

Vertical Data Group, LLC · sales@airindex.io · airindex.io

Data sources: FAA NASR 5010, LegiScan, Federal Register, Congress.gov, AirIndex Readiness Score v1.3. Scores reflect current verified conditions. Full methodology published at airindex.io/methodology.