Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, DC, have been ranked as the fittest cities in the United States for the seventh consecutive year, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Anthem Foundation. The 2024 ACSM American Fitness Index, which ranks America's 100 largest cities based on 33 evidence-based indicators, also listed Seattle, San Francisco, and Madison, Wisconsin, among the top five fittest cities.
The index celebrates healthy, active lifestyles and cities with the highest scores are considered to have strong community fitness. The bottom of the list included Memphis, Port St. Lucie, Florida, and Oklahoma City.
According to the ACSM, Arlington had the highest rate of residents exercising in the previous month (87.8%), the most getting seven or more hours of sleep a night (76.4%), and the lowest percentage smoking (3.4%). Washington, DC, ranked the best at eating their fruits and vegetables, with the highest rate of consuming two or more fruits a day (37.9%) and the second best in consuming three or more vegetables (21.4%).
The index also revealed significant changes and trends. More Americans are walking and biking to work, park expenditures are up, and food security improved slightly. However, residents in the 100 largest cities are not exercising enough to meet minimum ACSM standards, the number of people getting seven hours or more of sleep each night is down, and there was a decrease in reports of excellent/very good health.