I received a press release the other day about a study done by BetterDoctor.com that ranks cities by how healthy they are. I just had to say “GO VEGAS! We’re #7…. least healthy! Woo hoo!” It’s not that surprising to me. Las Vegas isn’t very “walkable”, we have kind of crummy public transportation and the whole city runs on the ideas of decadence and parties and lasciviousness.

The Top 25 Least Healthy Cities
(each city’s total score on a 100-point scale is shown in parentheses)

#1: Memphis, TN (15.8)
#2: Oklahoma City, OK (24.1)
#3: Louisville, KY (26.3)
#4: San Antonio, TX (27.3)
#5: Nashville, TN (29.0)
#6: Indianapolis, IN (29.5)
#7: Las Vegas, NV (29.8)
#8: New Orleans, LA (30.8)
#9: Los Angeles, CA (32.7)
#10: Jacksonville, FL (34.6)
#11: Detroit, MI (34.7)
#12: Riverside, CA (35.1)
#13: Phoenix, AZ (35.6)
#14: Orlando, FL (36.7)
#15: Tampa, FL (38.2)
#16: Miami, FL (38.3)
#17: Columbus, OH (38.5)
#18: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (38.9)
#19: Houston, TX (40.0)
#20: Kansas City, MO (40.0)
#21: Charlotte, NC (40.1)
#22: Birmingham, AL (42.2)
#23: Cleveland, OH (42.5)
#24: Virginia Beach, VA (42.9)
#25: Milwaukee, WI (43.4)

On the flip side, we’ve got the healthy cities ranked. Some of those surprised me, not because of personal experience with them but because of stereotypes and rumors about places.

The Top 25 Most Healthy Cities

#1: Boston, MA (74.5)
#2: Minneapolis, MN (73.6)
#3: Washington, DC (72.6)
#4: San Francisco, CA (66.4)
#5: Hartford, CT (62.7)
#6: Pittsburgh, PA (60.1)
#7: San Jose, CA (58.6)
#8: Salt Lake City, UT (58.5)
#9: Seattle, WA (57.7)
#10: Cincinnati, OH (57.6)
#11: Portland, OR (56.7)
#12: Denver, CO (56.6)
#13: Sacramento, CA (56.6)
#14: Atlanta, GA (55.9)
#15: San Diego, CA (55.3)
#16: Baltimore, MD (55.0)
#17: St. Louis, MO (54.7)
#18: Austin, TX (53.9)
#19: Raleigh, NC (52.7)
#20: Providence, RI (51.3)
#21: Buffalo, NY (50.3)
#22: Richmond, VA (48.6)
#23: Chicago, IL (48.4)
#24: New York, NY (47.7)
#25: Philadelphia, PA (44.0)

Criteria examined:

1. Population data about physical fitness (exercise rates, eating habits, chronic health problems and disease rates, access to parks and recreational activities, and more).
2. The percentage of doctors in the state that are highly rated according to BetterDoctor’s comprehensive, seven-variable algorithm.
3. The percentage of residents with health insurance coverage to assess how feasible it is for residents to get medical care.