Study Finds Top 10 Healthiest Cities in the U.S. in 2024

It turns out where you live might have an impact on how healthy of a lifestyle you can achieve. A new report from SmartAsset looked at 100 different cities across the U.S. to determine which can be considered the healthiest. The cities were ranked based on 10 health factors, including obesity, physical activity levels, smoking, drinking, air pollution, sleep sufficiency, diabetes prevalence, and drug overdose deaths.

In the top spot is the Washington, D.C. suburb of Arlington, VA. Among other areas, Arlington came out on top when it comes to residents having the least amount of poor physical health days in the past month, as well as poor mental health days. 

The cities are spread from coast to coast, with Seattle coming in at number two, Boise in fourth, and Minneapolis rounding out the top 10. Of the 10 healthiest cities in the country, four are concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area: San Jose at number three, San Francisco at number five, Oakland in eighth, and Fremont in ninth. 

Related: These Are the U.S.’s Most Overweight Cities in 2024

Meanwhile, the least healthy cities in the country are also varied in location. In dead last is Detroit, MI. It’s joined by other Midwest locales including Indianapolis and three in Ohio: Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo. Texas also boasts two bottom 10 entries with Laredo and Corpus Christi. Philadelphia also brings up the rear at number 96. 

Read up on the top 10 healthiest cities in the U.S. below. 

1. Arlington, VA
2. Seattle, WA
3. San Jose, CA
4. Boise, ID
5. San Francisco, CA
6. Aurora, CO
7. Raleigh, NC
8. Oakland, CA
9. Fremont, CA
10. Minneapolis, MN