10 Healthiest, Most Unhealthy Cities in America

Head West for good health
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2020 9:30 AM CST
10 Healthiest, Most Unhealthy Cities in America
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Ridofranz)

Staying in shape and in a general state of wellness is (and should be) a priority for most—and where you live can have an effect on how you maintain your health. WalletHub looked at more than 170 of the most populated US cities across more than three dozen metrics, in four main categories: Health Care (e.g., doctors and dentists per capita, the quality of local public hospitals); Food (such factors as the share of residents who say they eat healthy, how many neglect their fruits and veggies, and nutritionists per capita); Fitness (including share of adults who partake in physical activity, as well as fitness clubs and weight-loss centers per capita); and Green Space (e.g., such things as the quality of a city's parks and how many hiking, walking, and running trails it boasts). Read on for the best cities in America for your health, with San Francisco atop the list.

  1. San Francisco (No. 1 in both "Food" and "Green Space" categories)
  2. Seattle
  3. San Diego (No. 1 in "Fitness" category)
  4. Portland, Ore.
  5. Washington, DC
  6. New York
  7. Denver
  8. Irvine, Calif.
  9. Scottsdale, Ariz.
  10. Chicago
Read on for the cities that need a checkup:

The worst-performing cities:

  1. Brownsville, Texas (last in both "Health Care" and "Food" categories)
  2. Laredo, Texas (last in "Fitness" category)
  3. Gulfport, Miss. (last in "Green Space category)
  4. Shreveport, La.
  5. Memphis, Tenn.
  6. Montgomery, Ala.
  7. Huntington, W. Va.
  8. Augusta, Ga.
  9. Fort Smith, Ark.
  10. Detroit
See how other cities on the full list fared. (The cities where you might want to spend your golden years.)

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