2019’s Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America

2:40 AM

Posted by: Adam McCann

Location matters when it comes to health. Some places promote wellness by expanding access to nutritious food and recreational facilities. Others strive to keep healthcare costs affordable for everyone or keep parks clean and well-maintained.

When a city doesn’t take care of these issues, it can be hard to keep up good health. After all, the cost of care in the U.S. is rising and life expectancy is declining. And there are so many sources of health advice online that it can be difficult for a person to figure out what is legitimate and what is just a fad.

To determine which areas prioritize residents’ well-being, WalletHub compared more than 170 of the most populated U.S. cities across 42 key indicators of good health. Our data set ranges from cost of medical visit to fruit and vegetable consumption to fitness clubs per capita. Read on for our findings, further insight from a panel of experts and a full description of our methodology.

  1. Main Findings
  2. Ask the Experts
  3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/31072/geochart-healthy-cities3.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/2SIsSAa>  

Healthiest Places to Live in the U.S.

Overall Rank*

City

Total Score

‘Health Care’ Rank

‘Food’ Rank

‘Fitness’ Rank

‘Green Space’ Rank
1 San Francisco, CA 73.29 24 1 10 1
2 Seattle, WA 69.94 25 5 5 2
3 San Diego, CA 67.62 33 3 3 7
4 Portland, OR 65.73 47 6 17 4
5 Washington, DC 65.48 29 10 15 3
6 New York, NY 62.79 70 2 20 14
7 Denver, CO 61.93 60 15 2 16
8 Honolulu, HI 61.76 43 8 57 5
9 Scottsdale, AZ 61.37 12 41 1 19
10 Irvine, CA 61.26 2 30 16 11
11 Burlington, VT 60.95 13 28 7 18
12 Minneapolis, MN 60.85 3 22 41 9
13 Los Angeles, CA 60.30 68 4 12 38
14 Austin, TX 60.09 39 16 11 17
15 Chicago, IL 60.05 72 12 19 10
16 Huntington Beach, CA 59.70 8 37 9 34
17 Salt Lake City, UT 59.51 42 14 13 35
18 Fremont, CA 57.79 9 23 23 30
19 Atlanta, GA 57.71 75 26 6 28
20 Boston, MA 57.44 41 20 24 20
21 San Jose, CA 57.11 23 11 29 54
22 Glendale, CA 56.83 31 54 33 8
23 Raleigh, NC 56.55 11 27 4 85
24 Santa Clarita, CA 56.32 7 75 64 6
25 Portland, ME 56.05 18 24 59 40
26 Lincoln, NE 55.36 10 64 35 25
27 Philadelphia, PA 54.58 147 13 40 21
28 Virginia Beach, VA 54.57 5 74 30 33
29 Pittsburgh, PA 54.23 26 21 43 58
30 Orlando, FL 54.17 44 19 51 52
31 Madison, WI 54.14 14 67 54 26
32 Tampa, FL 54.01 80 25 26 36
33 Overland Park, KS 53.94 1 58 53 130
34 Oakland, CA 53.49 55 9 74 56
35 Long Beach, CA 53.47 37 32 69 29
36 Boise, ID 53.37 59 68 50 13
37 Fort Lauderdale, FL 53.06 44 40 58 46
38 Peoria, AZ 53.06 30 104 45 12
39 Miami, FL 53.03 78 7 73 67
40 Sacramento, CA 52.99 94 18 90 24
41 Santa Rosa, CA 52.99 71 52 37 32
42 Las Vegas, NV 52.93 163 17 8 50
43 Plano, TX 52.77 4 73 25 70
44 St. Paul, MN 52.73 28 66 49 31
45 Sioux Falls, SD 52.31 6 96 32 99
46 Tempe, AZ 51.80 58 46 44 60
47 Oceanside, CA 51.59 57 79 14 124
48 Garden Grove, CA 50.99 56 45 56 83
49 Vancouver, WA 50.85 66 84 18 109
50 St. Louis, MO 50.58 126 44 42 37
51 Phoenix, AZ 50.56 98 31 72 39
52 Richmond, VA 50.51 67 72 36 64
53 Aurora, CO 50.21 54 82 28 61
54 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 50.16 69 135 21 23
55 Rochester, NY 50.10 82 34 96 44
56 Tallahassee, FL 50.09 15 106 118 15
57 Colorado Springs, CO 49.98 83 89 27 49
58 Missoula, MT 49.97 40 148 52 41
59 Yonkers, NY 49.74 38 43 114 65
60 Chandler, AZ 49.63 32 81 22 119
61 Anaheim, CA 49.61 50 42 65 75
62 Charlotte, NC 49.53 51 53 31 106
63 Albuquerque, NM 49.07 116 50 63 43
63 Fargo, ND 49.07 35 107 55 77
65 Chesapeake, VA 49.06 17 129 70 42
66 Pembroke Pines, FL 49.02 27 55 84 155
67 Grand Rapids, MI 48.67 20 88 116 59
68 Cincinnati, OH 48.61 130 47 62 47
69 Tacoma, WA 48.59 104 63 39 104
70 Durham, NC 48.53 21 85 66 101
71 Des Moines, IA 48.37 19 94 94 89
72 Houston, TX 48.30 131 33 38 94
73 Spokane, WA 48.22 100 56 82 55
74 Omaha, NE 48.22 36 60 79 78
75 Baltimore, MD 48.11 87 29 105 57
76 Reno, NV 48.00 138 61 48 51
77 Gilbert, AZ 47.89 22 95 61 112
78 Wilmington, DE 47.79 46 91 144 27
79 Charleston, SC 47.66 34 97 95 87
80 Warwick, RI 47.58 52 77 75 133
81 Chula Vista, CA 47.33 62 69 34 127
82 Bridgeport, CT 47.14 74 108 68 86
83 West Valley City, UT 47.03 110 35 67 151
84 Cedar Rapids, IA 46.96 16 134 71 131
85 Providence, RI 46.79 112 57 110 48
86 Dallas, TX 46.69 141 36 60 90
87 St. Petersburg, FL 46.55 79 83 83 69
88 Tucson, AZ 46.13 121 51 91 63
89 Nashville, TN 46.08 90 49 99 80
90 Worcester, MA 46.04 84 102 80 84
91 Buffalo, NY 45.80 63 76 128 68
92 Milwaukee, WI 45.50 109 59 111 62
93 Aurora, IL 45.39 49 113 104 108
94 Rapid City, SD 44.99 48 115 107 126
95 Nashua, NH 44.89 76 156 47 115
96 San Antonio, TX 44.52 127 78 81 88
97 Henderson, NV 44.52 129 126 46 73
98 Jacksonville, FL 44.41 132 80 89 76
99 New Orleans, LA 44.31 158 114 115 22
100 Newport News, VA 44.17 64 130 103 96
101 Manchester, NH 44.11 93 141 77 100
102 Glendale, AZ 44.07 96 99 119 66
103 Santa Ana, CA 44.05 113 62 106 93
104 Billings, MT 43.92 65 117 120 110
105 Kansas City, MO 43.90 97 86 124 81
106 Mesa, AZ 43.83 77 87 78 143
107 New Haven, CT 43.75 92 132 135 45
108 Oxnard, CA 43.67 119 93 117 102
109 Jersey City, NJ 43.40 73 48 148 118
110 Anchorage, AK 42.97 134 100 141 53
111 Louisville, KY 42.95 101 65 108 128
112 Columbus, OH 42.77 89 71 147 98
113 Greensboro, NC 42.72 88 144 100 72
114 Riverside, CA 42.44 103 123 76 116
115 Knoxville, TN 42.26 117 112 132 79
116 Modesto, CA 42.23 156 125 86 74
117 Columbia, SC 42.00 61 109 134 164
118 Cleveland, OH 41.95 148 39 154 92
119 Salem, OR 41.91 99 111 121 139
120 Springfield, MO 41.64 125 152 97 82
121 Fort Worth, TX 41.28 120 92 101 142
122 Port St. Lucie, FL 41.24 102 121 98 165
123 Norfolk, VA 41.22 86 128 137 97
124 Charleston, WV 41.16 85 138 146 91
125 Cheyenne, WY 40.96 81 162 88 167
126 Lexington-Fayette, KY 40.82 53 101 152 134
127 Indianapolis, IN 40.76 161 98 112 105
128 Fontana, CA 40.36 137 142 85 140
129 Birmingham, AL 40.26 123 127 113 120
130 Ontario, CA 39.82 150 133 93 156
131 El Paso, TX 39.77 152 118 126 107
132 Little Rock, AR 39.63 95 159 125 103
133 Fresno, CA 39.49 155 90 133 132
134 Arlington, TX 39.40 106 119 127 144
135 Nampa, ID 39.28 169 105 92 162
136 Grand Prairie, TX 39.20 140 124 149 129
137 Huntsville, AL 39.05 91 147 153 138
138 Oklahoma City, OK 38.86 107 103 162 113
139 Tulsa, OK 38.68 105 137 151 111
140 Garland, TX 38.60 154 116 130 123
141 Moreno Valley, CA 38.59 122 143 150 121
142 Irving, TX 38.52 149 122 102 153
143 Fort Wayne, IN 38.49 139 146 87 145
144 Akron, OH 38.07 114 131 161 117
145 Las Cruces, NM 37.53 108 167 122 161
146 Newark, NJ 37.53 159 70 159 137
147 Stockton, CA 37.38 160 120 123 150
148 Amarillo, TX 37.07 157 150 142 141
149 Bakersfield, CA 37.04 153 110 145 154
150 Hialeah, FL 37.02 128 38 171 163
151 Cape Coral, FL 37.01 135 158 129 158
152 Lubbock, TX 36.94 133 165 109 135
153 Fayetteville, NC 36.07 111 166 136 166
154 Wichita, KS 35.92 145 149 138 149
155 San Bernardino, CA 35.60 171 140 156 95
156 Winston-Salem, NC 35.20 118 168 131 152
157 Chattanooga, TN 34.96 144 164 155 125
158 Baton Rouge, LA 34.80 170 153 139 136
159 North Las Vegas, NV 34.79 173 154 163 71
160 Mobile, AL 34.55 151 161 140 170
161 Jackson, MS 34.16 124 163 143 169
162 Columbus, GA 33.82 142 160 168 114
163 Corpus Christi, TX 33.74 146 157 158 146
164 Toledo, OH 33.73 136 136 165 157
165 Montgomery, AL 33.07 143 169 157 160
166 Detroit, MI 32.30 172 139 169 122
167 Memphis, TN 31.07 165 155 164 159
168 Augusta, GA 30.70 115 171 160 174
169 Fort Smith, AR 30.35 166 151 170 171
170 Huntington, WV 30.32 164 145 173 147
171 Shreveport, LA 28.73 162 173 166 168
172 Gulfport, MS 27.99 168 170 167 173
173 Laredo, TX 25.46 167 172 174 148
174 Brownsville, TX 24.19 174 174 172 172

*1=Healthiest

Ask the Experts

With health-care reform still a hot issue, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in on the current presidential administration’s policies and give advice on building good personal health. Click on the experts’ profiles below to read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:

  1. What impact will the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase health-care venture have on the U.S. health-care market?
  2. What are the most important factors to consider in choosing a city that is good for your health?
  3. Since health and wealth are both long-term investments, what are some effective strategies for convincing people to invest more in their health today?
  4. What tips do you have for a person looking to live a healthier lifestyle while on a budget?
  5. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to improve local health-care systems?
< > More Experts

Methodology

In order to identify the overall healthiest cities in the U.S., WalletHub compared 174 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across four key dimensions: 1) Health Care, 2) Food, 3) Fitness and 4) Green Space. Due to data limitations, the following cities were not included in the analysis: Dover, Delaware, Lewiston, Maine, Bismarck, North Dakota, South Burlington, Vermont, Juneau, Alaska, Pearl City, Hawaii, Columbia, Maryland and Casper, Wyoming . Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.

We evaluated the four dimensions using 42 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for a healthy lifestyle. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we calculated the population size using the square root of the population in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Health Care – Total Points: 25
  • Premature-Death Rate: Triple Weight (~4.17 Points)Note: “Premature Death” refers to years of potential life lost.
  • Mental Health: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults reporting 14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month.
  • Mental-Health Counselors per Capita: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)

  • Note: Mental-Health Counselors refers to Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors & Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.

  • Physical Health: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults reporting 14 or more physically unhealthy days in the past month.
  • Family Doctors per Capita: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Dentists per Capita: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Cost of Medical Visit: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Cost of Dental Visit: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Quality of Public Hospital System: Full* Weight (~1.39 Points)Note: This metric is based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ranking of public hospital systems.
  • Hospital Beds per Capita: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Adult Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults aged 19 to 64 years with health insurance coverage.
  • Youth Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of youths aged 18 year and younger with health insurance coverage.
  • Share of Adults Who Visited a Doctor or a Dentist in the Past Year: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Share of Adults Who Checked their Cholesterol in the Past 5 Years: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Mammography Screenings Among Women Aged 50–74 Years: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)
  • Share of Women & Men Aged 65 Years and Older Who Received Core Preventive Services: Full Weight (~1.39 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of women aged 65 and older who report having received all of the following: an influenza vaccination in the past year; a pneumococcal vaccination (PPV) ever; either a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within the past year, a sigmoidoscopy within the past 5 years and a FOBT within the past 3 years, or a colonoscopy within the previous 10 years; and a mammogram in the past 2 years and men aged 65 and older who report having received all of the following: an influenza vaccination in the past year; a PPV ever; and either a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within the past year, a sigmoidoscopy within the past 5 years and a FOBT within the past 3 years, or a colonoscopy within the past 10 years.
Food – Total Points: 25
  • Inadequate Fruit & Vegetable Consumption: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults consuming fewer than one serving of fruits or vegetables per day.
  • Farmer's Markets per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Healthy Restaurants per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: “Healthy Restaurants” refers to vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free establishments.
  • Dietitians & Nutritionists per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Share of Residents Who Say They Eat Healthy: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric is based on Gallup and Sharecare's 2016 Community Rankings for Healthy Eating report which examines healthy eating across the nation.
  • Google Search Interest for “Healthy Eating”: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric measures the search interest for “healthy food near me”, “healthy dinner ideas”, “healthy snacks”, “health food stores”, “healthy recipes”, “healthy grocery list”.
  • Share of Obese Residents: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Limited Access to Healthy Foods: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of the population who earn a low income and do not live within a reasonable distance to a grocery store.
Fitness – Total Points: 25
  • Share of Adults Who Engage in Any Physical Activity: Double Weight (~6.25 Points)
  • Well-Being “Physical” Rank: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)Note: This metric refers to the city’s rank in the “Physical” section of the Gallup-Sharecare State of American Well-Being rankings. “Physical” refers to having good health and enough energy to get things done daily.
  • Fitness & Instruction Centers per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
  • Average Cost of Fitness-Club Membership: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
  • Intramural Leagues per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
  • Weight-Loss Centers per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
  • Fitness Trainers & Aerobics Instructors per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
Green Space – Total Points: 25
  • Parkland Acres per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Quality of Parks: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric measures “parks spending per capita,” as a proxy for “parks quality.”
  • Hiking Trails per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Running Trails per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Walking Trails per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Walk Score: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Bike Score: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Physical-Activity Access: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric measures the percentage of the population with adequate access to locations for engaging in physical activity.
  • City “Greenness”: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Greenest Cities in America ranking that encompasses environmental metrics like air quality or “green” transportation.
  • Recreation Access: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best & Worst Cities for Recreation ranking.

Videos for News Use:

 Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, County Health Rankings, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Yelp, Numbeo, IMLeagues, Gallup-Sharecare, Google Ads, The Trust for Public Land, Under Armour, Walk Score and WalletHub research.

Image: AboutLife / Shutterstock.com



from Wallet HubWallet Hub


via Finance Xpress

Share This Story

Tags: ,

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor Aenean massa.

You Might Also Like

0 comments

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images