10 healthiest, unhealthiest cities in 2024

San Francisco is the healthiest place to live in the U.S., according to a WalletHub ranking that compared more than 180 of the country's most populated cities across 41 indicators of health. 

The 2024 edition of the ranking was published April 1. WalletHub compared 182 cities across 41 indicators of good health, including the cost of a medical visit, vegetable consumption and the share of adults who are physically active. 

The 41 metrics were grouped into four key dimensions (healthcare, food, fitness and green space), and each was scored on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions. Analysts then determined each city's weighted average across all metrics to calculate an overall score. More on the methodology can be found here

The 10 healthiest cities in the U.S., per the ranking: 

  1. San Francisco 
  2. Honolulu
  3. Seattle 
  4. San Diego
  5. Washington, D.C. 
  6. Portland, Ore. 
  7. Denver
  8. Salt Lake City, Utah 
  9. Scottsdale, Ariz. 
  10. Irvine, Calif. 

The 10 unhealthiest cities: 

  1. Brownsville, Texas
  2. Gulfport, Miss. 
  3. Laredo, Texas
  4. Columbus, Ga. 
  5. Shreveport, La. 
  6. Augustus, Ga. 
  7. Fayetteville, N.C. 
  8. Corpus Christi, Texas
  9. Detroit 
  10. Huntington, W.Va. 

Two additional notes: 

  • San Francisco, which ranked No. 1 overall, placed first for food and green space. It came in 76th place for healthcare and 28th for fitness. 
  • Overland Park, Kan., which ranked 38th overall, placed first in the healthcare rank. 

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