What is the fittest city in the United States? Top 10 rankings revealed
How fit is the city you live in? The 17th annual American Fitness Index, out Tuesday, is revealing who ranks where.
The rankings, published by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Elevance Health Foundation, are based on 33 health indicators, including different health behaviors and outcomes.
Who landed in the top three spots this year?
1. Arlington, Virginia
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Seattle, Washington
The top three cities were strong in distinctly different areas, according to the data.
Arlington, which ranked first in community and environmental indicators, had the highest rate of residents exercising in the previous month (87.8%), had the most getting seven or more hours of sleep a night (76.4%) and the lowest percentage who smoke (3.4%), according to a news release.
Washington, D.C., which ranked best at eating fruits and vegetables, also ranked in the top five cities that "exercised in the previous month, used public transportation and biked or walked to work," the release added.
Seattle had the third-highest rate of exercising in the previous month while also valuing and investing in parks.
Cities rounding out the top 10 include:
4. San Francisco, California
5. Madison, Wisconsin
6. Minneapolis, Minnesota
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Atlanta, Georgia
9. Irvine, California
10. St. Paul, Minnesota
In the release, ACSM President Stella Volpe said the annual rankings can help city leaders and residents make changes to better their well-being.
"Post pandemic, Americans are not as active as we would like. To help facilitate this, local community leaders must step up and make bold spending choices, policy decisions and infrastructure changes to increase opportunities for residents to be physically active and healthy," she said. "The Fitness Index is a trusted road map showing sound strategies for communities to improve. By embracing collaborative advocacy and leveraging data-driven insights, we can collectively move toward a healthier future for America, one city at a time."
A whole list of the top 100 cities can be found here on the group's website.
