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:
- San Francisco
- San Diego, Calif.
- Seattle
- Salt Lake City
- Portland, Ore.
- Washington
- Denver
- Honolulu
- Austin
- Scottsdale, Ariz.
Top 10 unhealthiest US cities:
- Brownsville
- Gulfport, Miss.
- Laredo
- Shreveport, La.
- Fort Smith, Ark.
- Huntington, W.Va.
- Toledo, Ohio
- Corpus Christi
- Montgomery, Ala.
- Memphis, Tenn.