Nine of every ten Americans live in a city that reported higher food insecurity in 2026 than it did the year before. That finding comes from the same annual study that just named the fittest cities in America – a pairing that says something important about the gap between where a city excels and where it still struggles.
The 2026 American Fitness Index, released by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Elevance Health Foundation, ranked the nation’s 100 largest cities using 35 indicators measuring personal health, community infrastructure, and environmental conditions. The report, published on July 14, 2026, is the most comprehensive annual snapshot of city-level fitness in the United States. ACSM launched the index in 2008, in partnership with the Elevance Health Foundation, scoring cities on a composite of health behaviors, health outcomes, community infrastructure, and local policies that support a physically active lifestyle.
To build the rankings, the Translational Journal of the ACSM first identified the health and community factors that influence physical fitness and overall well-being. A panel of 26 health and fitness experts reviewed dozens of possible measures and rated how important each one was in determining a city’s overall fitness. The 2026 rankings drew on data from several national sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the Environmental Protection Agency, Feeding America, the Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore, and Walk Score and Bike Score data. The result is a data-driven portrait of urban fitness – one that rewards cities not just for having gyms, but for building the kind of physical environment that makes daily movement the path of least resistance.
This year’s report shows a widening gap between cities that prioritize movement and those where residents have fewer opportunities to walk, bike, and exercise, and increasingly face higher rates of obesity, chronic disease, and food insecurity. The top 10 fittest cities in America for 2026 share a consistent profile: strong active transportation systems, high physical activity rates, broad park access, and policies that back active lifestyles.
10. Boston, Massachusetts
Boston ranked among the leaders for park access and closes out the top 10 as the only Northeast city on the list outside of Washington, D.C. Boston’s transit infrastructure, walkable neighborhoods, and historically active civic culture around running and cycling make it a consistent presence near the top of national fitness rankings.
9. Madison, Wisconsin
Chesapeake, Virginia, led the nation in outdoor athletic fields per 10,000 residents, followed by Madison, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, and Tulsa. Madison’s strong showing in recreational amenities helped it secure the No. 9 overall ranking. The Wisconsin capital’s compact, bikeable layout and strong university culture drive high rates of active transportation and recreational exercise.
8. Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta’s appearance in the top 10 fittest cities in America represents one of the more surprising entries in the 2026 index, given the Sun Belt city’s historically car-dependent layout. Atlanta has invested significantly in its BeltLine trail system – a 22-mile loop of parks, trails, and transit corridors encircling the city – which has driven measurable increases in physical activity among residents in adjacent neighborhoods.
7. Irvine, California
Irvine secures the seventh position in the 2026 rankings. The planned Southern California city is notable for its extensive trail network, low smoking rates, and above-average rates of recreational physical activity. Irvine’s performance reflects a deliberate urban design philosophy that prioritizes green space and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods from the ground up.
6. San Francisco, California
San Francisco holds the sixth spot nationally, underpinned by strong diet habits, walkability, and per-capita parks spending. San Francisco spends more per capita on parks and recreation than all major cities except one, allowing people to enjoy well-maintained nature and physical activity, and it’s also one of the most walkable and bikeable cities. The city’s density means that daily errands and commutes double as exercise in a way that’s rare among comparably sized American metros.
5. Denver, Colorado
Denver rounds out the top five, anchored by its proximity to outdoor recreation and a long-standing civic commitment to parks and trails. According to the ACSM, “the things that make places like Arlington, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver the top five is accessibility” to parks and trails where residents can exercise. Denver’s high-altitude lifestyle, combined with an extensive network of bike lanes and open space, translates directly into measurable population-level fitness outcomes.
4. Seattle, Washington
Seattle dropped one place from its 2025 position to fourth, but remains one of the most consistently fit large cities in the country. Seattle’s urban forest restoration efforts have enhanced the ecosystem health of nearly 500 parks, and with many recreational opportunities, the city’s residents are among the most physically active in the country. The city’s strong bike infrastructure, combined with a culture of outdoor activity, keeps it firmly in the upper tier of the fittest cities in America year after year.
3. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis unseated Seattle for third place in the 19th annual American Fitness Index, released July 14. Minneapolis’s climb to third reflects long-term investment in cycling infrastructure and year-round access to parks and trails – a notable achievement for a city that contends with harsh winters.
2. Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., ranked first in the Index’s community and environment category, reflecting its parks, trails, public transportation, and infrastructure. D.C. has held the No. 2 spot since 2023 in the fitness rankings of America’s 100 largest cities.
The capital’s strength lies in how it supports residents at the environmental level. Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Boston – all top-10 fitness cities overall – ranked among the leaders for park access. For D.C. specifically, the combination of a dense trail network, strong public transit ridership, and walkable urban design consistently puts it at or near the top of every community-level fitness measure in the index.
1. Arlington, Virginia
Arlington remains the country’s fittest city for the ninth consecutive year. It ranked first for personal health and continued to perform strongly across physical activity, park access, and transportation infrastructure. The Virginia city also reported good air quality on 84.4% of days, one of the highest rates among the cities studied.
The ACSM described Arlington’s dominance in direct terms. “Arlington, Virginia, continues its long-standing position as the nation’s fittest city, reflecting strong performance across multiple indicators including physical activity levels, access to parks and recreational facilities, and supportive transportation infrastructure,” the group said.
Arlington’s fitness advantage is structural. Its success is attributed to its extensive parks, trails, and public transportation options, promoting a physically active lifestyle among residents. The city’s built environment makes movement the default – residents don’t have to carve out time for exercise so much as encounter it everywhere they go.
How the Rankings Are Built – and What They Actually Measure
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. This dual-category structure – personal health and community environment – is what distinguishes the ACSM index from simpler surveys. A city can score well on personal health (low obesity, high exercise rates) while scoring poorly on community environment (limited parks, poor air quality), and vice versa.
Two community indicators were updated for 2026. Park availability is now measured as a percentage of total city area rather than parks per 10,000 residents, while the former ball-diamond measure was expanded to include soccer, football, softball, and other outdoor athletic fields. These methodological refinements make the 2026 rankings more precise than previous editions, but they also mean that year-over-year comparisons for some cities reflect both real changes and measurement adjustments.
Cities with the highest Fitness Index scores generally offer more opportunities and fewer barriers to healthy living, while lower-ranked cities often face greater challenges in supporting active lifestyles, according to the report.
The Exercise Reality Gap
Nearly 79% of residents across the 100 cities reported exercising at least once in the previous month, but only 30.5% met both aerobic and strength activity guidelines. The gap between “exercising occasionally” and “exercising enough” is enormous – and it holds across virtually every city in the index, including the top-ranked ones.
The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity for adults, plus muscle-strengthening activities targeting all major muscle groups at least two days per week. Meeting both thresholds is the benchmark the ACSM uses when assessing whether residents are truly physically active – and only about 3 in 10 Americans in the 100 largest cities clear it.
Stella Volpe, past president of ACSM and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board, frames the issue as one of infrastructure, not individual willpower. “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise,” Volpe said. “They make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation and community design.” Cities that build for movement get more of it from their residents, regardless of individual motivation.
Cities on the Move – Biggest Gainers and Losers
Richmond made the largest jump in the rankings, moving up 20 places to No. 20 and increasing its overall score by 7.2 points, according to Athletech News. Charlotte moved up 19 spots from No. 61 to No. 42, and Virginia Beach moved up 18 spots from No. 79 to No. 61, rounding out the year’s biggest climbers.
On the other end of the ledger, WCNC noted that some cities dropped sharply. Orlando fell 19 spots to No. 65, Laredo, Texas, dropped to No. 88, and Jacksonville slid to No. 84. Oklahoma City finished last among the 100 cities, a position it has held in recent editions of the index, driven by higher obesity rates, limited park access, and lower rates of physical activity.
A National Warning Sign: Food Insecurity and Air Quality
For the second consecutive year, food insecurity increased nationwide. The 2026 Fitness Index found that 99 of the 100 largest cities reported higher rates than the previous year, with overall food insecurity rising from 12.9% in 2025 to 14.4% in 2026. “Multiple factors likely contributed to this trend, including economic pressures, increases in food costs, and changes in programs that support food access,” the report summarized. The food insecurity data in the 2026 Fitness Index reflect 2023 data, meaning that the most recent economic changes may not yet be fully captured. Because food prices continued to rise through 2024 and 2025, food insecurity may remain an important indicator to monitor in future editions of the Fitness Index.
Air quality is the other environmental factor the report flags as a growing constraint on physical fitness. Cities experienced good air quality approximately 51% of days annually on average, with eight cities reporting 10% or fewer good air quality days. Honolulu, Hawaii, had the most good air quality days of any city in the study. The report noted a dramatic variation in air quality and its effects on asthma, which can limit physical activity for the 28 million Americans who have it.
The ACSM’s position on air quality is practical rather than abstract. “By improving air quality and expanding opportunities for safe movement, cities can help ensure that more residents, including those with asthma, are able to stay active and support their overall health,” the report stated.
What Makes a City Consistently Fit
The 19th annual report found that top-ranked cities combine lower obesity and chronic disease rates with more physical activity, broad access to parks and recreation infrastructure, and stronger active transportation. Top-ranked cities also have significantly higher bike and walk scores, more trail miles, and higher rates of walking, biking, and public transit use. Proximity to parks matters less than the quality and safety of active transportation corridors – the infrastructure that makes it possible to walk or bike through a city without planning a special trip around it.
“The cities that consistently rank at the top aren’t succeeding because of one program or one investment,” said Stella Volpe. “They’ve built systems that support healthier living over time. They are the ones creating environments where physical activity can easily become a part of everyday routines.”
The 2026 American Fitness Index confirms what urban health researchers have argued for years: fitness at the population level is as much a function of city design as personal choice. Arlington, Virginia’s ninth consecutive No. 1 finish is a product of sustained investment in parks, transit, trails, and walkability – not a single initiative or a lucky demographic.
The most actionable finding for individuals is the exercise gap. Across the 100 cities, 94 reported improved aerobic activity levels from 2024 to 2025, with an average increase of 9% in residents meeting the aerobic activity guidelines. Progress is real, but meeting the full CDC standard of both aerobic and strength training remains the exception rather than the rule. For residents of any city on this list, the practical benchmark is not “did I exercise this month” but “did I hit 150 minutes of moderate activity and two strength sessions this week.”
Cities outside the top 10 have a clear roadmap. Richmond’s 20-place jump and Charlotte’s 19-place climb show that rankings can move dramatically in a single year when cities invest in infrastructure and community health programs. The bottom of the list – dominated by cities with car-dependent layouts, limited park access, and rising food insecurity – illustrates what happens when those investments don’t come.
For residents, the immediate takeaway is straightforward: where you live shapes how easy or hard it is to stay healthy. The gap between the top and bottom of these rankings reflects decades of policy decisions, infrastructure investment, and urban planning choices that directly affect your daily opportunities to move. If your city isn’t on this list, that’s data worth taking to your city council – not just a personal fitness verdict.
AI Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by a human editor.
