Healthiest, unhealthiest cities in America in 2022: CA city tops chart

Where you live in the U.S. can affect your health and access to health care. 

A new report suggests some cities in California, Washington, Oregon and Utah are home to the healthiest people, while some cities in southern states rank as the unhealthiest. 

The 180 most populous cities in the U.S. were evaluated across 43 key indicators of good health by the personal finance site WalletHub. These metrics were divided across four categories: health care, food, fitness and green space. Each metric was graded by WalletHub analysts on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for a healthy lifestyle.

Data collected includes the cost of a medical visit, fruit and vegetable consumption, and the amount of COVID-19 cases. The data was collected over the course of a month. 

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“The data comes from reputable, mostly government sources, such as the Census Bureau, the Council for Community and Economic Research, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC,”  WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said in a statement to USA TODAY.

San Francisco, California ranked No. 1 due to its residents’ mental and physical health, health insurance coverage and because 83% of its population is vaccinated, according to Gonzalez. 

Brownsville, Texas ranked last based on a lack of health care providers and healthy food restaurants. Brownsville also has the highest share of obese residents, according to Gonzalez.

“Brownsville ranks dead last because of the low share of adults who engage in any physical activity, about 61%, and the low well-being physical score,” Gonzalez said.

Fermont, California has the lowest share of physically unhealthy adults at 8%, which is 2.5 times lower than Huntington, West Virginia, the city with the highest at 19.60%.

Laredo, Texas has the lowest cost per doctor’s visit, $56, which is 3.9 times less expensive than in Juneau, Alaska, the city with the highest at $219.

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Two Vermont cities, Burlington and South Burlington, have the lowest share of adults eating fruit less than once daily at 30.40%, which is 1.7 times lower than Gulfport, Mississippi, the city with the highest at 51.80%.

Glendale, Arizona and Lewiston, Maine have the lowest average monthly cost for a fitness-club membership, $15.00, which is 7.2 times less expensive than in New York, the city with the highest at $108.26.

Healthiest cities

1. San Francisco, California

2. Seattle, Washington

3. San Diego, California

4. Portland, Oregon

5. Salt Lake City, Utah

6. Honolulu, Hawaii

7. Austin, Texas

8. Denver, Colorado

9. South Burlington, Vermont

10. Washington, D.C.

Unhealthiest cities

173. Montgomery, Alabama

174. Columbus, Georgia

175. Augusta, Georgia

176. Shreveport, Louisiana

177. Charleston, West Virginia

178. Jackson, Mississippi

179. Memphis, Tennessee

180. Laredo, Texas

181. Gulfport, Mississippi 

182. Brownsville, Texas

“People should consider the healthiest places to live because living in a city that promotes wellness and enables access to healthy food and recreational facilities can significantly improve their quality of life,” Gonzalez said in a statement.