- Arlington, Virginia, has been ranked as America’s fittest city for the ninth consecutive year, while Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana, are among the least healthy cities in the U.S.
- The 2026 American Fitness Index by the American College of Sports Medicine measures the health and activity levels of residents in the 100 largest U.S. cities based on factors such as access to parks, recreation facilities, and personal health data.
- Cities like Charlotte and Virginia Beach made significant gains in the rankings, while cities like Orlando, Laredo, and Jacksonville saw drops in their positions due to various health challenges and lower rates of physical activity among residents.
A new report says there’s a growing gap between America’s healthiest and least healthy cities.
The 2026 American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index ranked the 100 largest U.S. cities based on the health and activity of their residents. All 100 cities were measured on factors such as access to parks, recreation facilities, bike lanes and public spaces, as well as personal health data, including smoking rates, mental health, physical activity and diet
For the ninth consecutive year, Arlington, Virginia, ranked as America’s fittest city. Rounding out the top five fittest cities for 2026 were Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Seattle and Denver.
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Indiana’s two largest cities find themselves near the bottom of this year’s report. Fort Wayne’s ranking dropped to 79th from a year ago, while Indianapolis ranked 97th out of the 100 cities
The report said Indianapolis, along with several other cities, “faced ongoing challenges across several indicators, including higher rates of chronic disease and lower rates of residents meeting physical activity guidelines.”
The 19th annual report revealed that the fittest cities consistently combine lower obesity and chronic disease rates with more physical activity, broad access to parks and recreation infrastructure, and stronger active transportation.
Some of the cities that made the largest gains in the 2026 rankings included Charlotte (moving up 19 spots from No. 61 to No. 42) and Virginia Beach (moving up 18 spots from No. 79 to No. 61).
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Some cities that dropped the most included Orlando (down 19 spots to No. 65), Laredo, Texas (down to No. 88) and Jacksonville (down to No. 84).
“Where you live increasingly determines how healthy you are,” said Stella Volpe, PhD, FACSM, ACSM-CEP, past president of ACSM and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board. “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise — they make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation and community design.”
The American College of Sports Medicine also has an online comparison tool to see how specific cities differed in their health behaviors, health outcomes, recreational facilities and more.
Which U.S. cities are the fittest? ACSM’s full 2026 rankings
Washington, D.C
Minneapolis, MN
Seattle, WA
Denver, CO
San Francisco, CA
Irvine, CA
Atlanta, GA
Madison, WI
Boston, MA
San Diego, CA
Plano, TX
Oakland, CA
St. Paul, MN
San Jose, CA
Boise, ID
Lincoln, NE
Albuquerque, NM
Chicago, IL
Richmond, VA
Chula Vista, CA
Pittsburgh, PA
Sacramento, CA
Buffalo, NY
Honolulu, HI
New York, NY
Cincinnati, OH
Austin, TX
Portland, OR
Omaha, NE
Aurora, CO
Frisco, TX
Raleigh, NC
Long Beach, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Newark, NJ
Tampa, FL
Jersey City, NJ
Miami, FL
Colorado Springs, CO
Cleveland, OH
Charlotte, NC
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
St. Petersburg, FL
Milwaukee, WI
Anaheim, CA
Scottsdale, AZ
Durham, NC
Winston-Salem, NC
Anchorage, AK
Columbus, OH
Reno, NV
Philadelphia, PA
Los Angeles, CA
Baltimore, MD
New Orleans, LA
Phoenix, AZ
Glendale, AZ
St. Louis, MO
Virginia Beach, VA
Cape Coral, FL
Riverside, CA
Orlando, FL
Nashville, TN
Chandler, AZ
Hialeah, FL
Mesa, AZ
Fort Worth, TX
Gilbert, AZ
Lexington, KY
Garland, TX
Tucson, AZ
Fresno, CA
El Paso, TX
Henderson, NV
Greensboro, NC
Arlington, TX
Fort Wayne, IN
San Antonio, TX
Toledo, OH
Kansas City, MO
Corpus Christi, TX
Jacksonville, FL
Stockton, CA
Irving, TX
Las Vegas, NV
Laredo, TX
Chesapeake, VA
North Las Vegas, NV
Tulsa, OK
Detroit, MI
Wichita, KS
Louisville, KY
Bakersfield, CA
Lubbock, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Port St. Lucie, FL
Memphis, TN
Oklahoma City, OK
