The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute, released its ninth annual Municipal Equality Index on Dec. 3.

While Beverly Hills was not included in the rankings, both West Hollywood and Los Angeles earned perfect scores of 100 out of 100 points. The average score for cities in California is 80 out of 100 points, which falls above the national average of 64.

The index is the only nationwide assessment of LGBTQ equality regarding municipal policy, law, and services in 506 cities across the nation, including 57 in California.

“Nine consecutive years of receiving a top score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index is something that the city of West Hollywood is incredibly proud of and that we do not take for granted,” West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath said.

The MEI shows that municipalities across the nation, including in California, continue to take decisive steps to safeguard LGBTQ people, despite attempts by some officials on higher levels of government to roll back crucial protections.

The MEI rated 506 cities including the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the U.S., the five largest cities or municipalities in each state, the cities home to the state’s two largest public universities, 75 municipalities that have high proportions of same-sex couples and 98 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state group members and supporters. It assesses each city on 49 criteria covering citywide non-discrimination protections, policies for municipal employees, city services, law enforcement and the city’s leadership on LGBTQ equality.

For information, visit hrc.org/mei.