Map reveals the healthiest and unhealthiest cities in the US for 2026
The top ten healthiest cities to live in the United States have been revealed, alongside some of the country’s worst offenders.
When it comes to settling down in a city, some people look for wide-open green spaces and affordable healthcare, while others prefer to have their favorite fitness spots and restaurants within walking distance.
But did you know your adopted hometown could be considered ‘unhealthy’, based on factors like fruit and vegetable consumption, park quality, and the number of employed mental health counselors?
If you’ve ever wanted to know if your residential area is one of the ‘good’ ones, then WalletHub has come up with an eye-opening list of the healthiest cities in the United States.
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As well as informing denizens where the best places to live are, the personal finance website has detailed the ten worst in terms of health.
How the rankings were solidified
This year, WalletHub compared 182 cities across four different dimensions: healthcare, food, fitness, and green space.
41 metrics, such as the average cost of a general medical visit, premature death rates, the mean price of a fitness club membership, and the number of physically active adults living in the area, were graded using a 100-point scale.
After each city’s attributes were assessed, the weighted average across all metrics was used to calculate each city’s overall score and rank, as per Becker’s Hospital Review.
Speaking about the report, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said that while staying healthy was a ‘personal responsibility’, where people live can ‘have a big influence on how successful they are at staying in good health’.
“The best cities are the ones that provide the greatest access to high-quality healthcare, green spaces, recreation centers, and healthy food,” he explained, as per NewsWeek.
Top ten healthiest cities in the US
According to the data, Scottsdale, Arizona, was the tenth-healthiest city in the United States, earning a total score of 60.64.
Austin, Texas, and Honolulu, Hawaii, ranked ninth and eighth, with 61.11 and 61.52 points, respectively.
Denver, Colorado, was awarded seventh place (61.65 points), while Washington, D.C, came in at sixth, with an overall score of 61.91.
Portland, Oregon, made it into the top five (63.21 points) while Salt Lake City, Utah, missed out on a podium spot at fourth, accumulating 63.26 points.
Seattle, Washington, was the third-healthiest city in America with 63.57 points.
Not only is it considered one of the greenest, but Seattle also boasts the highest physical activity rates in the country, with 87 percent of adults participating in the past month.
San Diego, California, was named the second-healthiest city in the US, with 65.19 points.
At the top spot, with the best food and green space, was San Francisco, with a 70.41 point total.
According to WalletHub, San Francisco had the nation’s second-lowest share of obese adults, with 100 percent of denizens living relatively close enough to places where they can physically exercise.
Meanwhile, San Diego had the sixth-most hiking trails per capita and ranked tenth nationwide for healthy restaurants, according to statistics.
Top ten least healthiest cities in the US
Alongside the healthiest cities, WalletHub has identified parts of the United States that really need to step it up when it comes to residents’ health.
The tenth-least healthy city in America is Memphis, Tennessee (33.33 points), with Montgomery, Alabama (32.06 points) and Corpus Christi, Texas (31.87 points) occupying ninth and eighth, respectively.
Toledo, Ohio, is seventh with a total score of 31.86, while Huntington, West Virginia, sits just outside of the top five in sixth place with 30.88 points.
The fifth most unhealthy place in the United States is Fort Smith, Arkansas (30.84 points), with Shreveport, Louisiana (28.34 points) coming in at fourth.
Third is Laredo, Texas. It earned just 27.68 points and was given the second-lowest fitness ranking at 181.
Gulfport, Mississippi, with 25.60 points, ranked second among the least healthy cities in the country.
Brownsville, Texas, the Valley’s largest city, has been deemed to be the most unhealthy city in the whole of the United States, earning just 24.34 points, according to WalletHub.
It scored the lowest fitness rank and the second-lowest health care and food rank, as per the data.
For a full city breakdown, click here.
Ella Scott