Austin finishes 19th on fitness ranking of 100 largest U.S. cities

Austin ranks 19th in a study by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation that examines the physical fitness of the nation’s largest cities.

The city scored 62 points out of a possible 100 in the analysis, which was released July 13. In comparison, the city that finished first in the ranking – Arlington, Virginia – scored 86.1.

Joining Austin in the top-50 list of the fittest U.S. cities were Plano, 45th; and Laredo, 47th.

The index ranks cities based on 34 evidence-based categories, such as the share of the population with chronic diseases, prevalence of parks and regional air quality. 

---

Top-50 List of the Most Fit U.S. Cities

Rank	City	Overall Fitness Score
1	Arlington, Va.	86.1
2	Minneapolis, Minn.	80.6
3	Seattle, Wash.	77.6
4	Denver, Colo.	75.8
5	Madison, Wis.	75.0
6	Washington, D.C.	73.8
7	St. Paul, Minn.	70.4
8	Irvine, Calif.	70.3
9	Portland, Ore.	69.2
10	Atlanta, Ga.	69.0
11	Oakland, Calif.	67.4
12	Boston, Mass.	67.3
13	San Francisco, Calif.	66.0
14	Chicago, Ill.	66.0
15	San Diego, Calif.	65.5
16	Buffalo, N.Y.	64.3
17	Boise, Idaho	62.7
18	Sacramento, Calif.	62.6
19	Austin, Texas	62.0
20	San Jose, Calif.	61.8
21	New York, N.Y.	61.3
22	Lincoln, Neb.	61.0
23	Honolulu, Hawaii	61.0
24	Pittsburgh, Penn.	60.7
25	Miami, Fla.	60.6
26	Virginia Beach, Va.	60.2
27	Albuquerque, N.M.	60.1
28	Norfolk, Va.	59.7
29	Jersey City, N.J.	59.5
30	Raleigh, N.C.	59.5
31	Durham, N.C.	59.4
32	Santa Ana, Calif.	59.1
33	Long Beach, Calif.	58.9
34	Chula Vista, Calif.	58.8
35	Fremont, Calif.	58.7
36	Tucson, Ariz.	58.5
37	Hialeah, Fla.	58.0
38	Aurora, Colo.	56.6
39	Los Angeles, Calif.	56.5
40	Newark, N.J.	56.0
41	St. Petersburg, Fla.	55.8
42	Anaheim, Calif.	55.8
43	Milwaukee, Wis.	55.1
44	Anchorage, Alaska	54.4
45	Plano, Texas	54.4
46	Omaha, Neb.	52.9
47	Laredo, Texas	51.8
48	Glendale, Ariz.	51.8
49	Stockton, Calif.	51.3
50	Richmond, Va.	51.3

Source: American College of Sports Medicine