2025 Fitness Index Evaluates Health and Fitness Across 100 U.S. Cities

WASHINGTON — When it comes to staying active, more Americans are stepping up. But not everything is trending in the right direction.

The American College of Sports Medicine has recently announced its 2025 Fitness Index, which ranks the 100 largest U.S. cities according to the healthiness and activity levels of their residents. These cities were evaluated on various criteria, including access to parks, recreation facilities, bike lanes, and public spaces, along with personal health statistics such as smoking rates, mental health, physical activity, and diet.

The assessment revealed that more individuals are engaging in regular exercise and cities have increased their investment in parks, though there remain concerns regarding air quality and food insecurity.

In general, the data indicated progress, as 94 cities reported higher levels of aerobic activity, and 89 cities observed an increase in the number of residents adhering to both aerobic and strength training guidelines. Smoking rates have decreased in 73 cities, and two-thirds of the cities have raised their per-person parks funding.

But the report also pointed out areas getting worse. Air quality declined in many cities, partially due to wildfire smoke, and food insecurity rose in nearly every city, possibly tied to the end of COVID-era support programs like the expanded Child Tax Credit.

As for the rankings, Arlington, Virginia, was named the nation’s fittest city for the eighth year in a row, followed by Washington, D.C., Seattle, Washington, San Francisco, California and Denver, Colorado.

Want to see where your city landed? Here’s a look at the top 50 fittest cities in America for 2025:

1.  Arlington, VA
2.  Washington, D.C.
3.  Seattle, WA
4.  San Francisco, CA
5.  Denver, CO
6.  Minneapolis, MN
7.  Madison, WI
8.  Atlanta, GA
9.  Sacramento, CA
10. San Diego, CA
11. Chicago, IL
12. Irvine, CA
13. Boston, MA
14. Plano, TX
15. San Jose, CA
16. Lincoln, NE
17. Boise, ID
18. St. Paul, MN
19. Oakland, CA
20. Pittsburgh, PA
21. Austin, TX
22. Chula Vista, CA
23. Portland, OR
24. Buffalo, NY
25. Albuquerque, NM
26. Spokane, WA
27. Aurora, CO
28. Jersey City, NJ
29. Newark, NJ
30. Honolulu, HI
31. Norfolk, VA
32. Omaha, NE
33. New York, NY
34. St. Petersburg, FL
35. Cincinnati, OH
36. Cleveland, OH
37. Colorado Springs, CO
38. Fremont, CA
39. Miami, FL
40. Richmond, VA
41. Tampa, FL
42. Long Beach, CA
43. Anchorage, AK
44. Raleigh, NC
45. Orlando, FL
46. Dallas, TX
47. Milwaukee, WI
48. Scottsdale, AZ
49. Houston, TX
50. Santa Ana, CA
51. Columbus, OH
52. Lexington, KY
53. Philadelphia, PA
54. Reno, NV
55. Winston-Salem, NC
56. Glendale, AZ
57. Anaheim, CA
58. Chandler, AZ
59. Mesa, AZ
60. Tucson, AZ
61. Charlotte, NC
62. New Orleans, LA
63. Phoenix, AZ
64. Riverside, CA
65. Los Angeles, CA
66. Durham, NC
67. Baltimore, MD
68. Jacksonville, FL
69. Fresno, CA
70. Laredo, TX
71. Nashville, TN
72. St. Louis, MO
73. Stockton, CA
74. Gilbert, AZ
75. Garland, TX
76. Chesapeake, VA
77. Fort Wayne, IN
78. Toledo, OH
79. Virginia Beach, VA
80. Fort Worth, TX
81. Henderson, NV
82. Kansas City, MO
83. Arlington, TX
84. Irving, TX
85. El Paso, TX
86. Corpus Christi, TX
87. Las Vegas, NV
88. Louisville, KY
89. Greensboro, NC
90. Tulsa, OK
91. Bakersfield, CA
92. Indianapolis, IN
93. Port St. Lucie, FL
94. San Antonio, TX
95. Detroit, MI
96. Wichita, KS
97. Memphis, TN
98. North Las Vegas, NV
99. Lubbock, TX
100. Oklahoma City, OK