These Are the 20 Fittest Cities in America

We analyzed 100 of Americas most populous cities and gave each an activity rating based on fitness guidelines, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and, on the flip side, the percentage of the population reporting inactivity. This rating contributed 50 percent of the weighted score.

Then we looked at general health, with our team determining the percent- age of the population reporting good, very good, or excellent overall health, according to the CDC and various state and county health records. We also pulled self-reported data about heart health and obesity. These three categories made up the other 50 percent of the weighted score, with obesity level carrying 25 percent, general health 15 percent, and cardiac health the remaining 10 percent.

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After calculating all that, we found a clear correlation between raw data and fitness culture (how much a city creates opportunities for fitness and encourages connection). A citys culture of activity can play a large role in persuading people to exercise with others, says Dan Giordano, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., cofounder of Bespoke Treatments, a physical-therapy clinic.

These top cities engage people to be activewhether its biking, hiking, or walking, says Michael Fredericson, M.D., of Stanford Medicines Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Researchers now know that being in shape can involve more than working out in a gym.

It can involve simply stepping outside and joining the community of active people in your city, even ifespecially ifit didnt make this list.

1. San Francisco

California / Fitness Score: 98.2

Battle ropes by the bay in San Francisco. BusinessInsider USA Images

Although San Fran doesnt have the highest good-health score (Madison took that one) or the lowest obesity percentage (Denver beat it out), it has the top activity score. Its the epicenter of fitness tech, with Apple, Fitbit, and Strava nearby. So maybe members of the tech community are stoking one anothers activity goals to crush it in the 3,413 acres of open space and more than 220 parks where residents can run, swim, bike, throw a Frisbee, or do any other kind of high-energy thing in a hilly city built between the ocean and the bay.

2. Madison

Wisconsin / Fitness Score: 92.7

People enjoy Lake Mendota. BusinessInsider USA Images

Madisons five lakes provide residents with year-round fitness: ice skating and fishing in the winter; swimming, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding (and even SUP polo) in the summer. The city also has the second-highest activity score and the second-highest heart-health score.

3. Seattle

Washington / Fitness Score: 92.5

A scene from the 2019 RocknRoll Seattle Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. BusinessInsider USA Images

Seattle has a striking 485-plus parksand theyre not all open fields and blacktop loops. Gas Works Park weaves green space and trails through the remnants of a former industrial complex.

4. Denver

Colorado / Fitness Score: 90.8

According to ClassPass, a service connecting users to local fitness classes, Denvers top three are at High Ride Cycle, CorePower Yoga, and barre3. Combine that with a strong culture of mountain biking, hiking, and backcountry skiing and you can feel this city sweat.

5. San Diego

California / Fitness Score: 87.8

Parks and nature preserves abound here, and one stretch of Solana Beach attracts a very high concentration of cyclists, reports Strava, an activity fitness tracker. The 1.2-kilometer path is wedged between the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and Nature Center and Swamis State Marine Conservation Area.

6. San Jose

California / Fitness Score: 87.3

Runners light up Strava along the Rancho San Antonio County Park, Stanford Dish, and Guadalupe River trails. All that cardio explains this citys first-place heart-health score.

7. Salt Lake City

Utah / Fitness Score: 86.5

Along the base of the Wasatch Range resides rock-hard fitness. Downtown boasts Salt Lake City CrossFit, Ute CrossFit Sugarhouse, Brickwall CrossFit, Kirin CrossFit, and . . . you get the point.

8. Minneapolis

Minnesota / Fitness Score: 86.4

A high overall-health score and a low obesity percentage push this city upward despite its lower activity score. The Minneapolis area is home to the Mayo Clinic, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the University of Minnesota Medical Center, and other ranked hospitals.

9. Burlington

Vermont / Fitness Score: 84.2

Within striking distance of ski resorts such as Stowe, Smugglers Notch, and Bolton Valley, Burlington is bustling come snow season. But nearby Lake Champlain also makes it a fishing, kayaking, and sailing destination.

10. Portland

Maine / Fitness Score: 83.3

Leading the U. S., this city has 18 breweries per 50,000 residents. Luckily, theres no shortage of ways to work off carbs. Portland has 66 parks, 30 playgrounds, ten community gardens, and miles of walking and biking trails.

11. Colorado Springs

Colorado / Fitness Score: 82.1

Going for a hike here means huffing and puffing through the towering Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, or Broadmoor Seven Falls. The city claims 9,000-plus acres of parkland and 500 acres of trails.

12. Bridgeport

Connecticut / Fitness Score: 80.1

Theyre yoga-crazed here, with four of Bridgeports top five ClassPass signups belonging to local studio Black Rock Yoga. Plus, the city has the sixth-lowest obesity percentage.

13. Sacramento

California / Fitness Score: 78.3

Theres plenty of yoga happening in Sacramento, too, reports ClassPass, but also hot Pilates, stationary-cycling classes, and InstaPhysique, which centers on the Megaformer, a fitness device.

14. Boise

Idaho / Fitness Score: 77.9

Credit this citys commitment to building a network for walkers, runners, and cyclists. Its Ridge to Rivers laces 190 miles of trails from the Boise Peak down to the Boise Foothills. Twenty-five miles of separate Greenbelt pathways slink along both sides of the Boise River.

15. Billings

Montana / Fitness Score: 77.4

Find the top ClassPass classes at Black Orchid Yoga + Cycle and Billings Kettlebell Club. Strava reports heavy use of Swords Park for cyclists and Black Otter Trail for runners. Both routes take advantage of Billingss 47 parks, which total 1,183 acres.

16. Los Angeles

California / Fitness Score: 76.1

Along a three-block stretch of West Third Street in Beverly Hills, there are ten fitness studios alone. Three blocks. This concentration of cardiovascular activity is indicative of the larger commitment L. A. as a whole has to group activity.

17. Durham

NorthCarolina / Fitness Score: 74.6

Although Durham has numerous other running and cycling paths, a standout is the American Tobacco Trail, which has a very high volume of runners and riders, per Strava. The trail stretches over 22 miles through the city of Durham while also connecting to Chatham and Wake counties.

18. Honolulu

Hawaii / Fitness Score: 73.7

You may think that natives just sunbathe all day, but ClassPass shows a strong interest in yoga, barre, and Pilates. Strava runners hit Diamond Head Beach Park.

19. Reno

Nevada / Fitness Score: 72.9

Kayakers approaching the rapids in Truckee River Park. BusinessInsider USA Images

Gamble by night, run by day? Strava reports that the Truckee River Walk, Idlewild Park, Ophir Peak, Mayberry Park, and the Flume Trail are popular running routes for its users in and around the city.

20. Virginia Beach

Virginia / Fitness Score: 72.5

The Virginia Beach Boardwalk. BusinessInsider USA Images

A three-mile boardwalk along the Atlantic Ocean collects runners panting through the fresh salt air, and the many trails in First Landing State Park and Shore Drive also draw a high volume of Strava cyclists.

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THE OTHER 80

21. VIRGINIA BEACH, VA / Fitness Score 72.45 22. OAKLAND, CA (72.3) 23. ALBUQUERQUE, NM (72.05) 24. PORTLAND, OR (69.9) 25. FARGO, ND (69.8) 26. WASHINGTON, DC (69.45) 27. MANCHESTER, NH (69.15) 28. LINCOLN, NE (68.5) 29. BOSTON, MA (68.0) 30 . TUCSON, AZ (64.8)

31. FRESNO, CA / Fitness Score 63.9 32. ST. PETERSBURG, FL (63.6) 33. Raleigh, NC (63.5) 34. STOCKTON, CA (61.8) 35. ANCHORAGE, AK ( 60.5) 36. ATLANTA, GA (60.15) 37. SIOUX FALLS, SD (59.7) 38. CHICAGO, IL (59.5) 39. CHEYENNE, WY (58.2) 40. GREENSBORO, NC (58.05)

41. ST. PAUL, MN / Fitness Score 58.05 42. PITTSBURGH, PA (56.95) 43. RIVERSIDE, CA (56.8) 44. NASHVILLE-DAVIDSON, TN (55.8) 45. NEW YORK, NY (55.45) 46. JERSEY CITY, NJ (54.65) 47. AUSTIN, TX (54.3) 48. PHOENIX, AZ (54.05) 49. BUFFALO, NY (52.9) 50 . DES MOINES, IA (50.65)

51 . CHARLOTTE, NC / Fitness Score 49.4 52 . NORFOLK, VA (48.85) 53 . MILKWAUKEE, WI (48.4) 54 . KANSAS CITY, MO (47.45) 55 . PLANO, TX (47.05) 56 . NEWARK, NJ (45.7) 57 . MIAMI, FL (45.6) 58 . WINSTON-SALEM, NC (44.55) 59 . OMAHA, NE (43.8) 6 0 . TAMPA, FL (42.65)

61 . CINCINNATI, OH / Fitness Score 39.15 62 . CLEVELAND, OH (39.05) 63 . PROVIDENCE, RI (39.05) 64 . ORLANDO, FL (37.65) 65 . NEW ORLEANS, LA (37.1) 66 . LEXINGTON-FAYETTE, KY (36.45) 67 . BALTIMORE, MD (36.35) 68 . LAREDO, TX (35.85) 69 . WILMINGTON, DE (35.75) 7 0 . RICHMOND, VA (35.6)

71. COLUMBIA, SC / Fitness Score 34.95 72. COLUMBUS, OH (33.8) 7 3 . EL PASO, TX (33.3) 74. CHESAPEAKE, VA (33.15) 7 5 . LUBBOCK, TX (31.6) 76. LAS VEGAS, NV (30.65) 77. ST. LOUIS, MO (28.45) 78. DALLAS, TX (27.75) 79. PHILADELPHIA, PA (27.7) 80. HOUSTON, TX (27.6)

81. JACKSONVILLE, FL / Fitness Score 25.05 82. LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY, KY (23.7) 83. INDIANAPOLIS CITY, IN (23.6) 84. WICHITA, KS (20.7) 85. SAN ANTONIO, TX (20.5) 86. FORT WAYNE, IN (19.9) 87. BATON ROUGE, LA (18.35) 88. BAKERSFIELD, CA (18.15) 89. LITTLE ROCK, AR (17.9) 90. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (15)

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91. JACKSON, MS / Fitness Score 13.65 92. DETROIT, MI (11.7) 93. BIRMINGHAM, AL (11) 94. MEMPHIS, TN (9.95) 95. TOLEDO, OH (9.4) 96. FORT WORTH, TX (9.05) 97. TULSA, OK (8.85) 98. CHARLESTON, WV (7.9) 99. CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (3.55)