Depends upon the complexity of the environment.
NYC and LA are probably the most complex scanner environments around so they'd be difficult to deal with. Some cities have encrypted so they are right out.

Other areas are nowhere near that complicated. Colorado is pretty advanced in terms of using digital trunked systems but this doesn't make it impossible to understand the situation.

2 of the 3 counties, the city, and the state agencies I listen for on my daily commute are on digital and are (so far) straightforward to listen to.

1 county and 1 city I listen to are still on VHF analog systems and even easier to listen to.

Even as a longtime scanner fan and power-user I'd probably not attempt to try to listen to NYC unless I moved there. And then I wouldn't expect easy success.

I think Wyoming still uses smoke signals in some areas :-)