Demographics & Statistics Diet Environment Exercise

2023’s Unhealthiest Cities In America

1 year ago

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Posted on Apr 14, 2023, 12 p.m.

Location, location, location, as it turns out location is more important than you may think. Research is revealing that where you live can actually play a substantial role in how healthy you are. It is true that some cities invest very heavily to try and make sure that the residents don’t get sick, but that is not the case everywhere in America. According to the WalletHub Study, a surprising amount of cities within the United States are falling behind in areas relating to health and wellness, especially in the southern portions of the country.

This study of the nation’s 182 most heavily populated cities revealed that Brownsville, Texas is the unhealthiest city within America across 43 key metrics which included but was not limited to the cost of a medical visit, as well as the amount of fruits and vegetables residents consume. With a population of around 186,000 residents this U.S-Mexico border city ranks the lowest in Food and Fitness scores, ranks 172 in terms of Green Spaces, and also ranks 169 for Healthcare.

After Brownsville, Texas ranking 182, Gulfport, Mississippi takes spot 181, Shreveport, Louisiana placed 180, Columbus, Georgia came in at 179, and Augusta, Georgia was 178 to round off the top 5 of the unhealthiest cities to live in America. Columbus, Georgia ranks as being the city with the worst Healthcare score in the country, this score accounts for several factors such as the rate of premature death, mental health, cost of medical care, and the number of residents with insurance.

When it comes to Green spaces you may think that big cities such as Los Angeles and New York may not have a lot to offer and would be in the bottom rankings, but as it turns out Montgomery, AL ranks last in terms of park quality, access to recreation, hiking trails per capita, and the overall greenness of the city. After Montgomery’s ranking at 182, Augusta, GA placed 181, Charleston, WV ranked 180, followed by Fort Wayne, IN at 179, and Winston-Salem, NC rounds of the five cities with the worst Green spaces. San Francisco, California has the best Green Spaces according to this study.

Along with everything else, medical bills are continuing to increase in 2023, as such the average employer-provided healthcare plan costs around 5.6% more. The results revealed that residents of Alaska pay the most for a medical visit with Juneau and Anchorage sharing the spot for the highest cost for visiting a doctor’s office in the country. Visiting a physician will also take a big chunk out of your wallet in Wisconsin with the most expensive cities in that state found to be Madison ranking 180 and Milwaukee coming in at spot 178. On the flip side, the residents in Brownsville, Texas appear to be getting the second cheapest medical bills despite it being the unhealthiest city in the nation, and Laredo, Texas was found to have the cheapest.

Those wanting to have a long and happy life may want to avoid Baltimore, Maryland, it appears that the city doesn’t have any charm for that desire as it has the worst rate of premature death in America. But Baltimore shares that undesirable spot with two other neighboring cities in West Virginia, Huntington and Charleston. Finishing off the bottom of this list are St. Louis, Missouri and Augusta, Georgia which are all tied sharing spot 178 in the rankings. San Jose, California has the lowest premature death rate in this study.

“For those with specific medical conditions, it is important to consider whether you can easily access the medical care you need. For more general health concerns, one of the most important things to look for is whether the city allows getting outside and exercising. Are there green spaces, parks, and/or safe streets with sidewalks? Also, health is as much about mental and emotional well-being as it is about physical well-being, so it is also important to reflect on whether this is a city where you can feel at home. Is it close to friends and family who enhance your life? Is it the kind of place where you can readily incorporate your passions and preferences (or hobbies) into your daily life?” says Amy McGuire, JD, Ph.D., of Baylor College of Medicine, in a statement.

If you are trying to improve your health with a new diet and are looking for some healthier places to eat, you are probably going to have to look hard if you live in Grand Prairie, Texas because this city ranked last (182) in terms of the number of healthy restaurants per capita. But this city is not the only place with very few fresh and nutritious places to eat, Aurora, Illinois ranked 176, North Las Vegas, Nevada took spot 175, Rapid City, South Dakota came in at 174, and Hialeah, Florida ranked 173.

If you are looking to live in a city that has good fitness as a priority you should probably avoid Brownsville, Texas which ranked 182 in fitness, Laredo, Texas ranked 181, North Las Vegas, Nevada came in at 180, Shreveport, Louisiana took spot 179, and Huntington, West Virginia rounds of the list at 178 for the cities with the worst fitness. Alternatively, Scottsdale, Arizona ranks first, Raleigh, North Carolina is second, and Chandler, Arizona is third.

Hialeah, Florida also ranks at the bottom of the rankings for the city that is the most physically inactive/sedentary in America. When it comes to looking for places to exercise, residents of Alaska may want to take advantage of the outdoors or do it at home if they are trying to keep costs down because the price of a fitness club membership was found to be the highest in the city of Juneau which surprisingly beats New York City. But Juneau wasn’t the only pricey city in Alaska as Anchorage also made the list of the most expensive gym memberships.

Here’s how all of the182 most populated cities in America ranked in this study:

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Health Care	Food	Fitness	Green Space
182	Brownsville, TX	25.72	169	182	182	172
181	Gulfport, MS	28.19	166	179	174	177
180	Shreveport, LA	28.31	170	181	179	163
179	Columbus, GA	29.05	182	175	170	171
178	Augusta, GA	30.20	167	167	175	181
177	Montgomery, AL	30.51	161	180	142	182
176	Memphis, TN	31.39	179	173	146	168
175	Fayetteville, NC	31.57	125	176	168	176
174	Laredo, TX	31.62	152	178	181	130
173	Corpus Christi, TX	32.60	180	161	159	158
172	Detroit, MI	32.97	181	125	176	154
171	Fort Smith, AR	32.98	160	162	177	165
170	North Las Vegas, NV	33.12	178	164	180	106
169	Charleston, WV	33.20	141	158	160	180
168	Huntington, WV	33.29	173	138	178	153
167	Amarillo, TX	33.75	177	163	161	141
166	Winston-Salem, NC	34.54	100	172	116	178
165	Toledo, OH	34.56	176	152	165	120
164	Jackson, MS	35.18	117	154	153	175
163	Baton Rouge, LA	35.36	162	174	133	128
162	Garland, TX	35.95	155	146	167	118
161	Las Cruces, NM	36.05	77	177	169	129
160	Fort Wayne, IN	36.16	156	135	92	179
159	Fontana, CA	36.23	146	143	163	127
158	Wichita, KS	36.72	149	165	77	164
157	Lubbock, TX	37.12	171	170	83	148
156	Mobile, AL	37.36	163	142	99	174
155	Grand Prairie, TX	37.49	128	153	173	53
154	Greensboro, NC	37.51	93	150	90	173
153	Newark, NJ	37.63	175	75	162	134
152	Moreno Valley, CA	37.69	142	127	171	105
151	Arlington, TX	37.96	110	151	127	147
150	Irving, TX	38.11	153	137	107	145
149	Chattanooga, TN	38.22	128	168	130	77
148	Hialeah, FL	38.40	107	69	172	159
147	San Bernardino, CA	38.54	174	111	166	70
146	Bakersfield, CA	38.56	168	126	144	100
145	Port St. Lucie, FL	38.64	135	124	122	170
144	Norfolk, VA	38.85	44	128	154	155
143	Little Rock, AR	38.87	148	144	93	162
142	Oklahoma City, OK	38.91	75	139	132	151
141	Tallahassee, FL	38.98	120	171	91	117
140	Ontario, CA	39.02	154	136	151	57
139	El Paso, TX	39.02	145	116	158	91
138	Lewiston, ME	39.07	90	134	164	135
137	Huntsville, AL	39.27	102	160	103	167
136	Tulsa, OK	39.38	140	157	72	132
135	Akron, OH	39.46	127	130	150	81
134	Casper, WY	39.64	151	155	148	71
133	Dover, DE	39.71	97	166	121	166
132	Newport News, VA	40.02	80	147	149	85
131	Cape Coral, FL	40.16	119	140	108	150
130	Columbia, SC	40.33	84	141	98	169
129	Nashville, TN	40.41	121	83	136	146
128	Fresno, CA	40.43	144	85	139	125
127	Stockton, CA	40.53	172	94	138	83
126	Birmingham, AL	40.66	124	159	69	112
125	Knoxville, TN	40.81	165	117	81	142
124	Henderson, NV	41.21	138	149	137	62
123	Des Moines, IA	41.30	65	131	118	140
122	Nampa, ID	41.40	158	133	64	138
121	Springfield, MO	41.65	164	156	55	86
120	Indianapolis, IN	41.76	101	101	86	152
119	Kansas City, MO	41.98	95	114	128	96
118	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	42.02	109	145	80	111
117	Fort Worth, TX	42.04	104	119	60	143
116	Cheyenne, WY	42.33	64	169	117	144
115	Columbus, OH	42.36	103	82	125	123
114	Glendale, AZ	42.75	133	115	57	107
113	Modesto, CA	43.23	150	105	106	66
112	Anchorage, AK	43.27	143	97	152	40
111	Mesa, AZ	43.34	113	92	45	139
110	Santa Ana, CA	43.43	136	55	124	95
109	New Orleans, LA	43.44	157	123	102	49
108	New Haven, CT	43.44	79	113	157	33
107	Chesapeake, VA	43.52	15	132	115	110
106	Peoria, AZ	43.53	88	129	78	101
105	Cleveland, OH	43.76	134	46	131	94
104	Rapid City, SD	44.02	18	100	156	90
103	Dallas, TX	44.09	137	64	76	113
102	Warwick, RI	44.18	27	104	114	160
101	Lexington-Fayette, KY	44.30	63	86	110	122
100	Chula Vista, CA	44.59	46	90	95	133
99	San Antonio, TX	44.76	139	102	56	76
98	Durham, NC	44.87	29	61	85	157
97	Cedar Rapids, IA	44.93	20	148	59	136
96	Aurora, IL	44.97	66	109	141	20
95	Salem, OR	45.01	85	78	113	89
94	Houston, TX	45.24	122	53	65	116
93	Jacksonville, FL	45.25	147	80	61	79
92	Gilbert, AZ	45.27	62	103	5	161
91	Spokane, WA	45.45	112	84	58	102
90	Worcester, MA	45.49	24	106	112	99
89	Fargo, ND	45.52	41	108	101	115
88	Milwaukee, WI	45.59	98	77	123	63
87	Manchester, NH	45.62	73	122	43	114
86	Nashua, NH	45.73	58	107	38	156
85	Tucson, AZ	45.77	130	47	111	68
84	Oxnard, CA	45.81	81	63	140	46
83	Riverside, CA	46.23	131	51	48	98
82	Omaha, NE	46.34	26	112	46	109
81	Chandler, AZ	46.41	70	99	3	137
80	Louisville, KY	46.44	91	58	70	93
79	Charleston, SC	46.57	31	110	62	131
78	Jersey City, NJ	46.82	87	35	134	78
77	Reno, NV	47.21	126	91	54	48
76	Baltimore, MD	47.30	132	27	105	82
75	Tacoma, WA	47.40	116	44	52	119
74	Bridgeport, CT	47.82	35	121	129	7
73	Colorado Springs, CO	47.92	89	72	37	75
72	Bismarck, ND	47.94	57	89	42	149
71	Aurora, CO	48.04	50	68	23	108
70	Charlotte, NC	48.18	55	43	34	126
69	Wilmington, DE	48.19	94	79	73	37
68	West Valley City, UT	48.30	108	42	109	47
67	Pearl City, HI	48.49	13	88	119	73
66	Richmond, VA	48.75	72	66	17	104
65	Juneau, AK	49.13	105	52	155	12
64	Providence, RI	49.30	47	76	94	34
63	Anaheim, CA	49.36	76	41	75	65
62	Garden Grove, CA	49.44	83	45	143	4
61	Santa Clarita, CA	49.63	42	71	84	36
60	Buffalo, NY	49.67	59	38	88	67
59	Pembroke Pines, FL	49.81	49	96	40	32
58	Vancouver, WA	49.84	68	87	12	80
57	St. Petersburg, FL	49.90	71	62	32	59
56	Billings, MT	49.95	37	73	30	124
55	Boise, ID	50.12	28	95	29	58
54	Virginia Beach, VA	50.12	6	81	33	97
53	Santa Rosa, CA	50.19	67	54	47	61
52	Yonkers, NY	50.21	19	32	147	39
51	Sioux Falls, SD	50.24	12	74	50	103
50	Albuquerque, NM	50.24	114	67	97	13
49	Lincoln, NE	50.40	10	118	13	74
48	Long Beach, CA	50.44	86	33	79	56
47	Rochester, NY	50.49	69	31	120	26
46	Philadelphia, PA	50.51	111	20	87	54
45	Phoenix, AZ	50.71	96	30	67	51
44	St. Paul, MN	50.87	56	57	63	42
43	Plano, TX	50.90	23	93	9	69
42	Fort Lauderdale, FL	51.70	52	49	44	44
41	Oceanside, CA	51.88	48	65	11	87
40	St. Louis, MO	51.95	123	39	14	45
39	Tempe, AZ	52.26	78	70	10	31
38	Tampa, FL	52.30	99	26	19	64
37	Cincinnati, OH	52.35	118	56	15	24
36	Missoula, MT	52.42	17	120	36	25
35	Grand Rapids, MI	52.52	38	48	28	60
34	Miami, FL	52.55	60	10	100	72
33	Sacramento, CA	52.61	106	17	96	30
32	Overland Park, KS	52.82	2	98	21	92
31	Raleigh, NC	53.34	9	36	2	121
30	Las Vegas, NV	53.46	159	24	20	23
29	Columbia, MD	53.57	1	60	51	88
28	Glendale, CA	53.81	61	50	24	11
27	Pittsburgh, PA	53.95	33	25	41	50
26	Chicago, IL	54.33	92	12	66	35
25	Orlando, FL	54.59	82	15	27	43
24	Los Angeles, CA	55.54	115	4	89	21
23	South Burlington, VT	55.57	3	15	135	84
22	San Jose, CA	55.62	25	19	104	16
21	Oakland, CA	55.84	53	7	82	38
20	Burlington, VT	55.85	5	34	39	55
19	Fremont, CA	56.14	8	28	16	52
18	Madison, WI	56.20	22	29	22	29
17	Huntington Beach, CA	56.29	39	40	4	28
16	New York, NY	56.33	54	3	145	18
15	Portland, ME	56.38	4	23	126	10
14	Austin, TX	56.49	40	21	31	22
13	Atlanta, GA	57.11	74	18	7	27
12	Scottsdale, AZ	57.22	36	59	1	19
11	Boston, MA	57.39	7	11	68	41
10	Irvine, CA	57.63	14	37	18	14
9	Denver, CO	58.42	34	13	25	17
8	Minneapolis, MN	58.51	21	22	49	8
7	Washington, DC	59.78	32	9	35	15
6	Portland, OR	61.09	16	6	71	6
5	Salt Lake City, UT	61.86	45	14	6	3
4	San Diego, CA	61.94	43	5	26	5
3	Honolulu, HI	62.23	51	8	74	2
2	Seattle, WA	65.22	11	2	8	9
1	San Francisco, CA	67.07	30	1	53	1

As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement.

Opinion Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of WHN/A4M. Any content provided by guest authors is of their own opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.

Content may be edited for style and length.

References/Sources/Materials provided by:

https://studyfinds.org/unhealthiest-cities-in-america/

https://wallethub.com/edu/healthiest-cities/31072

https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/benefits/Pages/health-plan-costs-expected-to-rise-in-2023.aspx

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