Seattle One Of America's 'Fittest Cities' In 2022: Study

SEATTLE — Seattle made the top 10 in new rankings by the American College of Sports Medicine, which named the Emerald City one of the nation's fittest based on several criteria.

The 15th annual "American Fitness Index" calculated the overall ranking of the largest 100 cities based on a number of factors, including the percentage of the population who exercised in the previous month, the level of fruit and vegetable consumption, how often residents cycled or walked to work, and other health and environmental conditions.

In Washington, Seattle rounded out the top five, leading Portland and Denver, while Arlington, Va., claimed the top spot for the fifth time. Seattle fared even better within the "personal health" category, ranking third in the nation. Spokane made the list for the first time, coming it at 30th overall.

The index also examined mental health concerns and found nearly 40 percent of Americans in the cities analyzed reported poor mental health, and nearly 60 percent of adults reported pandemic-related effect on their emotional and mental wellbeing.

“The Fitness Index Advisory Board hypothesized that poor mental health issues might be a
significant factor because the pandemic disrupted every phase of our lives, some more than
others,” Dr. Stella Volpe, chair of the American Fitness Index Advisory Board. “Our decision to hone in on this important factor was accurate. We found that cities ranked in the top 25 tended to score well in personal health indicators; however, there was one exception – mental health. Four cities in the top 25 also ranked among the cities with the poorest mental health.”

Overall, the index reported an improvement in the overall number of Americans exercising and sleeping seven or more hours a day, compared with 2021.

Here are the top 10 fittest cities, according to the 2022 American Fitness Index:

1. Arlington, Va.
2. Madison, Wis.
3. Minneapolis, Minn.
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Seattle
6. Irvine, Calif.
7. Portland, Ore.
8. St. Paul, Minn.
9. Denver, Colo.
10. Chicago

Check out the full 2022 rankings via the American Fitness Index.