Austin Tops WalletHub's 2026 Healthiest Texas Cities List

It's easy to forget how much our location influences our health. Aside from genetics and behavior, where someone lives can be the biggest determinant to their overall well-being. Access to nutritious food and recreational facilities, as well as healthcare costs and the condition of parks, play a role in health. In this way, a city can have a significant impact on its residents.

In a recent analysis, WalletHub compared 182 of the most populated U.S. cities across 41 key measures to see which prioritizes their residents' well-being. These measures included the cost of a medical visit, fruit and vegetable consumption, and the share of physically active adults.

“Staying healthy is a personal responsibility, and everyone should strive to eat nutritious food, exercise regularly and look after their mental health,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “However, where people live can have a big influence on how successful they are at staying in good health, so the best cities are the ones that provide the greatest access to high-quality healthcare, green spaces, recreation centers, and healthy food.”

Austin is Texas's healthiest city, ranking No. 9 nationally. Its subcategory rankings are: health care rank: 27, food rank: 13, fitness rank: 23, green space rank: 22. Austin also tied with several other cities for having the most dieticians and nutritionists per capita.

Plano was the next highest-ranking Texas city at No. 63. It had the third-lowest premature-death rate in the nation.

Brownsville was named the unhealthiest city of the 182 studied, with the lowest fitness ranking and the fifth-smallest share of physically active adults. It ranked second-lowest in health care and food subcategories.

Laredo was the third-unhealthiest city nationally, ranking lowest in health care and second-lowest in fitness. Laredo had the fewest mental health counselors per capita, second-fewest healthy restaurants per capita, and the smallest share of physically active adults.

Texas cities ranked overall:

• No. 9: Austin
• No. 63: Plano
• No. 70: Houston
• No. 83: Dallas
• No. 101: San Antonio
• No. 116: Fort Worth
• No. 130: Lubbock
• No. 133: Garland
• No. 136: El Paso
• No. 145: Arlington
• No. 147: Irving
• No. 154: Grand Prairie
• No. 162: Amarillo
• No. 175: Corpus Christi
• No. 180: Laredo
• No. 182: Brownsville

Top 10 healthiest US cities:

1. San Francisco
2. San Diego, Calif.
3. Seattle
4. Salt Lake City
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Washington
7. Denver
8. Honolulu
9. Austin
10. Scottsdale, Ariz.

Top 10 unhealthiest US cities:

1. Brownsville
2. Gulfport, Miss.
3. Laredo
4. Shreveport, La.
5. Fort Smith, Ark.
6. Huntington, W.Va.
7. Toledo, Ohio
8. Corpus Christi
9. Montgomery, Ala.
10. Memphis, Tenn.