Source: JJ IG / JJ IG
WASHINGTON — A new report names the D.C. region the fittest of the 50 biggest metropolitan areas in the country, based on a combination of health and lifestyle factors, for the second year in a row.
The American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation released the 2015 American Fitness Index data Tuesday. The Washington area is followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul and San Diego. Indianapolis, Indiana, sits at the bottom of the list.
The D.C. area, which for the purposes of the study includes the surrounding counties and more, scores high on factors such as a low percentage of people with cardiovascular and heart disease; people who get to work by means other than driving, and a high per-capita number of swimming pools, tennis courts and farmers markets.
The region also topped the list in 2009 and 2010, and placed second to Minneapolis-St. Paul from 2011 to 2013.
Source: JJ IG / JJ IG
Here’s how the cities rank:
| Rank |
Metropolitan Area |
Score |
| 1 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
79.6 |
| 2 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
75.6* |
| 3 |
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
75.6* |
| 4 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
72.6 |
| 5 |
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA |
71.4 |
| 6 |
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
71.1 |
| 7 |
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
69.6 |
| 8 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
68.5 |
| 9 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH |
68.1 |
| 10 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
65.9 |
| 11 |
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
64.8 |
| 12 |
Salt Lake City, UT |
61.9 |
| 13 |
Raleigh, NC |
60.1 |
| 14 |
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
57.5* |
| 15 |
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC |
57.5* |
| 16 |
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN |
56.4 |
| 17 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
56.3 |
| 18 |
Richmond, VA |
55.0 |
| 19 |
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
54.5 |
| 20 |
Austin-Round Rock, TX |
54.2 |
| 21 |
Pittsburgh, PA |
53.0 |
| 22 |
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
52.5 |
| 23 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
52.0 |
| 24 |
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
50.9 |
| 25 |
Cleveland-Elyria, OH |
50.5* |
| 26 |
Kansas City, MO-KS |
50.5* |
| 27 |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
50.2 |
| 28 |
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA |
49.4 |
| 29 |
Saint Louis, MO-IL |
48.1 |
| 30 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
47.5 |
| 31 |
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
47.4 |
| 32 |
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY |
47.3 |
| 33 |
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI |
46.8 |
| 34 |
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
44.8 |
| 35 |
Jacksonville, FL |
43.5 |
| 36 |
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL |
42.7 |
| 37 |
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
41.1 |
| 38 |
Columbus, OH |
41.0 |
| 39 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
39.8 |
| 40 |
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
39.0 |
| 41 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
38.8 |
| 42 |
New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
38.6 |
| 43 |
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
37.4 |
| 44 |
Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
34.5 |
| 45 |
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN |
33.0 |
| 46 |
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN |
32.1 |
| 47 |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX |
32.0 |
| 48 |
Oklahoma City, OK |
29.6 |
| 49 |
Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
27.3 |
| 50 |
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN |
26. |
Source: WTOP.com
