Fittest Cities and States in America

With a resurgence of interest in healthy and active lifestyles, the fitness industry has been quickly growing on an annual basis in the U.S. However, there are large geographical variations in the health and fitness of Americans based upon lifestyle, weather, food, and other factors. In this analysis, AdvisorSmith examined data published by the CDC to find the cities and states in the country whose populations are the fittest.

To determine the fittest cities and states nationwide, we examined data from the CDC’s BRFSS survey, which reports the health status of Americans around the country. We examined the percentage of residents who were of normal weight as determined by body mass index (BMI), as well as the percentage of residents who regularly participate in aerobic exercise, muscle-building exercises, and any exercise at all.

Fittest Cities in America

Cities from very different parts of the country were among the fittest cities in the nation. From the sun-drenched shores of California and Florida to small midwestern and northeastern cities, there was varied geographic representation among the fittest cities. AdvisorSmith’s study compared 124 metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions to find the cities in the nation with the highest number of fit residents.

Across the cities we studied, an average of 31% of residents had normal weight. About 51% of city residents participated in at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week, while an average of 35% participated in muscle-building exercises at least twice a week. On average, 75% of residents exercised at least once in the past month.

Rank	City	Normal Weight (BMI) %	Aerobic %	Strength %	Exercise %	Total Score
1	Burlington, VT	41	63.4	43.1	83.5	92
2	Sarasota, FL	39.6	66	42.3	78.5	88.2
3	San Jose, CA	43.5	54.8	31.6	80.3	78.6
4	Manhattan, KS	38.2	57.4	40.5	81.9	77.8
5	Denver, CO	38.6	57	39.6	81.1	77.2
6	Colorado Springs, CO	38.5	54.8	41.2	80	75.8
7	Boston, MA	42.7	53.4	35.4	73.7	75.4
8	Seattle, WA	38.2	57.5	36.9	82.8	75.4
9	Madison, WI	35.2	59.2	42.1	83.2	75.1
10	Provo, UT	38	54.5	38.7	84.2	74.5
11	Frederick, MD	39.1	53.1	39.3	80.7	74.3
12	Austin, TX	39.1	54.1	36.5	79.6	72.4
13	Spokane, WA	34.9	60.5	38.5	80.8	71.4
14	Albany, NY	36.6	54	42.9	76.7	70.7
15	Portland, OR	35.8	59.2	36.2	79.4	69.5
16	Logan, UT	34	59.3	37.9	83.7	69.4
17	San Francisco, CA	38.4	55.9	31.5	81.1	69.1
18	Albuquerque, NM	36.2	55.2	39	77.2	68
19	Minneapolis, MN	33.9	58.7	38	82.1	67.9
20	Sacramento, CA	37.2	54.3	34.4	80.3	67.1
21	Rochester, MN	34	60.3	35.5	81.2	67.1
22	Washington, DC	36.1	52.6	38.5	78.5	65.7
23	Cambridge, MA	39	52.5	33.4	74.2	65.4
24	Ogden, UT	32.7	56.3	39.2	81.3	63.8
25	Grand Rapids, MI	33.1	55.4	39.1	81	63.6
26	Tampa, FL	34.5	55.2	38.4	76.2	63.4
27	Los Angeles, CA	36.3	53	34.9	77.4	63
28	Portland, ME	36.4	54.5	34.6	74.5	62.8
29	Boise, ID	36.2	55.8	31.7	77.7	62.8
30	Salt Lake City, UT	34.7	52.5	37.3	80.3	62.6
31	New York, NY	37.8	49.1	37.9	71.7	62.3
32	Miami, FL	34.6	53.3	40.3	73.5	62.1
33	Reno, NV	31.7	56.5	41	78.7	62
34	Syracuse, NY	34.1	54.1	39.8	74.8	62
35	Lincoln, NE	33.1	53.4	39.4	79.9	61.6
36	Idaho Falls, ID	35.6	53.4	32.7	77.3	60
37	Daytona Beach, FL	32	58.1	37.7	75.7	59.8
38	Anchorage, AK	32.4	55.2	37.9	78.5	59.7
39	Duluth, MN	31.1	59.9	36.3	77.8	59.5
40	Gainesville, FL	33.4	56	35.9	75.6	59.4
41	Hartford, CT	31.9	55.4	38.8	76.6	58.6
42	Akron, OH	34.7	51.6	37.8	72.3	58.1
43	Phoenix, AZ	32.9	52.9	37.6	76	57.2
44	Billings, MT	31	55.4	38.7	77	56.8
45	Columbia, SC	31.9	52.6	39.5	74.4	55.6
46	Chicago, IL	33.3	49.7	37.9	75	55
47	Buffalo, NY	29.8	54.8	39.3	77.7	54.6
48	Pensacola, FL	31.3	55.3	36.2	74.5	54
49	Poughkeepsie, NY	31.7	54.3	37.3	71.9	53.6
50	Atlanta, GA	31.8	49.5	38.8	76.5	53.1
51	Fargo, ND	33	51.5	32.5	78	53
52	Providence, RI	34.4	49.2	33.8	72.5	52.2
53	Wilmington, DE	31.2	52.7	36.1	75.5	52
54	Raleigh, NC	31	52.5	35.4	77.5	51.8
55	Orlando, FL	32.5	52.5	34.3	72.8	51.7
56	Nashville, TN	31.5	48.5	39.8	74.4	51.3
57	Worcester, MA	30.8	53.6	35	75.1	50.8
58	Warren, MI	29.5	54.1	35.7	78.4	50.7
59	Baltimore, MD	30.5	51.8	36.5	76.7	50.6
60	St. Cloud, MN	31.6	52.5	34.5	73	50
61	Charleston, SC	27.2	53.9	41.7	76.2	49.5
62	Tallahassee, FL	34.1	45.6	30.7	75.7	47.5
63	Jacksonville, FL	30.2	52.9	35.4	71.2	47.2
64	Youngstown, OH	31.3	49.3	36.5	70.7	47
65	Springfield, MA	33.9	50.2	28.2	71.4	46.9
66	Des Moines, IA	30.1	50.8	34.3	76.2	46.8
67	Richmond, VA	29.4	51.8	34.4	77.1	46.8
68	Cedar Rapids, IA	29.9	52.3	33.4	75.2	46.5
69	Salem, OR	31.4	51.7	31.2	73	46.2
70	Charlotte, NC	29.7	51.6	33.2	76.1	45.7
71	New Orleans, LA	30.1	47.9	37.9	72.9	45.5
72	Knoxville, TN	30	50.1	35.6	72.5	45.2
73	Rochester, NY	32.9	48.5	31.1	70.4	45.1
74	Fort Worth, TX	33.2	43.7	34.3	72.1	45
75	Virginia Beach, VA	28	50.9	37.6	75.8	45
76	Omaha, NE	30.8	47.6	34.2	73.9	44.2
77	Augusta, GA	29.3	49.9	37.4	70.9	44.1
78	Cincinnati, OH	31.6	45.8	34.3	73.3	44.1
79	Pittsburgh, PA	29.7	50.5	33.5	74.1	44
80	San Antonio, TX	27.6	49.4	39.3	75.4	44
81	Dallas, TX	29.9	47.7	37.3	70.4	43.1
82	Rapid City, SD	31.3	45.9	36.3	69.3	43.1
83	Bismarck, ND	29.5	50	33.5	73.5	42.8
84	Fort Wayne, IN	27.5	47.5	41.9	72.6	42.8
85	Fayetteville, AR	30	51.1	27.9	77.6	42.3
86	Dayton, OH	28.5	48.2	36.8	74.5	42.3
87	Milwaukee, WI	25.8	53.3	36.5	77	42.1
88	St. Louis, MO	31.6	47	31.4	72	42.1
89	Indianapolis, IN	30	48.1	35	70.7	42
90	Cleveland, OH	28.5	49.4	35.5	73.5	41.8
91	Myrtle Beach, SC	28	51.9	34.4	71.1	40.8
92	Houston, TX	26.9	49.4	36.5	75.7	40.3
93	Columbus, OH	29.6	46.4	34.9	72.1	40.2
94	Salisbury, MD	28.2	49.8	35.3	71	40.1
95	Philadelphia, PA	30.5	47.1	31.5	71.7	39.8
96	Lansing, MI	26.1	52.8	34.6	74.5	39.5
97	Kansas City, MO	29.4	46.6	33	72.9	38.9
98	Chattanooga, TN	28.7	47.4	32.2	71.1	36.5
99	Greenville, SC	28.1	42.4	38.5	70.3	35.6
100	Memphis, TN	27.4	45.8	37.8	68.4	35.5
101	Birmingham, AL	27.9	47.7	31.3	72.2	34.9
102	Little Rock, AR	27.3	45.8	35.3	70.6	34.4
103	Tuscaloosa, AL	25.7	50.6	34.4	69.8	34.1
104	Riverside, CA	27.7	47.6	29	73.2	33
105	Waterloo, IA	27.6	45.2	32.7	71.8	33
106	Charleston, WV	27.1	49.5	27.8	72.5	32.1
107	Sioux Falls, SD	26	46.4	32.7	74.2	31.9
108	Oklahoma City, OK	29.7	39.5	32.4	70	31.2
109	Hagerstown, MD	26.6	48.2	29.7	71.6	31
110	Toledo, OH	26.8	44.7	33.6	69.5	30.4
111	Lafayette, LA	28	41.5	34.9	64.7	28.7
112	Topeka, KS	28.1	46.2	27.6	66.7	28.1
113	Louisville, KY	26.5	41	34.5	70.5	27.7
114	Sioux City, IA	27.2	41.7	33.5	67.5	27.5
115	Corpus Christi, TX	22.1	49.3	33.9	72.8	26.5
116	Kingsport, TN	27	42.9	32.3	65	25.9
117	Wichita, KS	24.5	45.7	30.1	72	24.8
118	Baton Rouge, LA	24.3	45.7	31.6	68.5	23.8
119	Mobile, AL	27.8	42.3	25.4	68.6	23.2
120	Jackson, MS	27.6	40.3	28.6	65	21.8
121	Grand Island, NE	21.9	47.8	33.8	66.8	21.6
122	Beaumont, TX	19.9	44.6	36.3	69	17.7
123	Tulsa, OK	25.9	37.8	27	66	15.2
124	Huntington, WV	23.6	42.8	24.8	69.4	14.7

Fittest States in America

AdvisorSmith crunched the numbers to find the states where Americans are the fittest. Our analysis included 49 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. New Jersey was excluded because it did not report data for 2019. We found the fittest states by examining the percentage of normal weight people as measured by BMI, along with three other physical activity factors.

Among the 49 states and Washington, D.C., the average population with normal body weight was 31%. An average of 51% of residents had participated in 150 minutes or more of aerobic exercise, with 35% participating in muscle-building exercises at least twice a week. An average of 74% of residents had exercised at least once in the previous month.

Rank	State	Normal Weight (BMI) %	Aerobic %	Strength %	Exercise %	Total Score
1	District of Columbia	42.4	53.4	40.6	81	92.8
2	Colorado	38.9	58.4	39.3	81.3	85.2
3	Hawaii	38.7	54.8	37.9	75.6	77.4
4	Vermont	38.2	49.3	39.7	80	75.8
5	Montana	33.9	62.3	39.7	80.3	73.4
6	Utah	34.5	54.8	38.4	81.5	68.6
7	Washington	34.3	58.4	36.5	80.8	68.5
8	Minnesota	32.7	57.9	36.5	80.1	63.1
9	California	35.1	54.1	33.7	77.6	63
10	Massachusetts	38.2	44.9	33.2	73.6	62.3
11	Oregon	34	56.5	34.8	76.1	62
12	Alaska	32.2	56.7	37.6	78.3	60.9
13	Connecticut	32.7	53.4	39.4	76.5	60.7
14	New York	35.1	46.9	37.9	72.8	59.2
15	Florida	32.8	54.5	38.1	73.5	58.9
16	Idaho	34	56.8	31.2	76.2	58.5
17	Arizona	31.9	53.8	37.7	75.9	56.6
18	Rhode Island	33.9	49.9	36.1	73.5	56.5
19	Illinois	32.6	49.5	37.1	74.4	53.9
20	New Mexico	32.4	48	38.4	74.7	53.6
21	Virginia	32.2	49.3	35.8	74.7	51.4
22	New Hampshire	30.8	48	37.2	78.3	49.6
23	Wisconsin	28.6	58.4	36.2	76.8	49.4
24	Maryland	31.4	44.9	36.6	76.6	47.4
25	Georgia	30.6	48.3	38.2	72.1	47
26	North Carolina	28.6	62.3	31.9	73.7	46.3
27	Maine	32.5	51.5	30.6	69.9	46.1
28	Iowa	30.1	54.8	32.9	73.5	45.9
29	North Dakota	28.5	62.3	32	72	45.3
30	Delaware	29.4	51.1	37	73.4	45.1
31	Pennsylvania	29.8	49.9	33.7	74.5	42.5
32	Nevada	29.9	48.8	34.3	74.2	42.4
33	Wyoming	33.2	30.2	38	75.4	42.1
34	Missouri	30.3	57.9	27.8	69.4	41.4
35	Texas	28.4	48.5	37.8	72.8	40.6
36	Nebraska	29.5	48	34.8	73.1	40.5
37	South Carolina	28.7	46.9	38.2	71.2	39.9
38	Michigan	28	51.1	35.3	74.6	39.8
39	Ohio	29	48	34.7	71.7	38.2
40	Arkansas	27.8	56.7	32.2	68.8	37.4
41	Tennessee	28.6	46.8	35.5	69.9	36
42	Indiana	28.8	46.3	35.3	69.1	35.6
43	Kansas	28.1	48.3	33.4	72.9	35.1
44	Alabama	27.5	56.7	29.2	68.5	33.3
45	South Dakota	27.9	45.8	34.6	70	32.3
46	Louisiana	27.2	44.9	34.2	68.1	28.1
47	West Virginia	25.9	47.2	26.1	68.9	18.1
48	Oklahoma	26.3	37.3	28.7	66	12.8
49	Kentucky	26.4	35.3	27	67.2	10.4
50	Mississippi	25.4	38.5	29	62.3	9.5

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Methodology

To find the fittest cities and states in America, AdvisorSmith used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which is a survey reporting the health status of Americans from states and cities around the country. For the state portion of the study, we examined data for all 49 states and the District of Columbia. The state of New Jersey, which did not report data for 2019, was excluded from this report. For the city portion of the study, we examined data from 124 metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions around the country.

Our study examined four primary factors to determine the fittest cities and states in the country. First, we considered the percentage of residents of each city or state that were classified as “Normal Weight” by Body Mass Index. We also took into consideration the percentage of residents who participated in at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week and the percentage of residents who participated in muscle-building exercises at least twice a week. Finally, we examined the percentage of residents who participated in any physical activity within the past month based upon survey responses.

For each of these variables, we assigned each city or state a score representing the geography’s performance on each measure. We then weighted the scores and added them to create a composite fitness score for each city and state. We then ranked the cities and states to find the fittest cities and states in America.

Sources

1. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2019