The healthiest city in every state

Written by:
September 21, 2018
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The healthiest city in every state

The goal of former first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign was to end childhood obesity in a generation. Fourteen million children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, increasing individuals' risk for high blood pressure, cancer, chronic illness, and shortened lifespan. Large-scale community changes are often necessary to ensure lasting good health for residents. Those changes can be lofty goals, but they're not impossible -- and cities across the country have already demonstrated a commitment to healthy living for people of all ages.

To rank and grade the healthiest city in every state, Stacker pulled data from Niche that weighed factors like smoking, alcohol consumption, and rates of obesity, as well as the availability of gyms, hospitals, doctors, and mental health professionals in the area. For states without city data available (Delaware, Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming), the town or suburb with the highest Health & Fitness grade and the highest overall Niche grade were substituted. Foursquare rounded out the data with the best gym, organic grocery store, and hospital.

Read on to travel to the healthiest places from coast to coast, and see which city from your state made the cut.

RELATED: Least fit cities in America 

Alabama: Huntsville

Population: 188,973

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: 24/7 Fitness Center — 3490 Harris Hill Blvd. NE

Best organic food store: Whole Foods Market — 2501 Memorial Parkway SW

Best hospital: Crestwood Medical Center — 1 Hospital Drive SW

Alaska: Anchorage

Population: 299,321

Overall Niche grade: B

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Anchorage Community YMCA — 5353 Lake Otis Parkway

Best organic food store: Natural Pantry — 3680 Barrow St.

Best hospital: Providence Alaska Medical Center — 3200 Providence Drive

Arizona: Scottsdale

Population: 234,495

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Gainey Village Health Club & Spa — 7477 East Doubletree Ranch Road

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 13802 N Scottsdale Road Ste. 110

Best hospital: HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center — 10460 N. 92nd St.

Arkansas: Little Rock

Population: 197,640

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Little Rock Athletic Club — 4610 Sam Peck Road

Best organic food store: Green Corner Store — 1423 Main St. Ste. D

Best hospital: Arkansas Heart Hospital — 1701 S. Shackleford Road

California: Berkeley

Population: 118,585

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Equinox Berkeley — 2600 Shattuck Ave.

Best organic food store: Preserved Oakland — 5032 Telegraph Ave.

Best hospital: UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland — 747 52nd St.

Colorado: Boulder

Population: 105,420

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: YMCA of Boulder Valley — 2850 Mapleton Ave.

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 100 W South Boulder Road

Best hospital: Boulder Medical Center — 2750 Broadway St.

Connecticut: Stamford

Population: 127,410

Overall Niche grade: B+

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: Exhale Stamford — 2200 Atlantic St.

Best organic food store: Mike’s Organic Delivery — 377 Fairfield Ave.

Best hospital: Tully Health Center — 32 Strawberry Hill Court

Delaware: Hockessin

Population: 13,702

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: Hockessin Athletic Club — 100 Fitness Way

Best organic food store: Harvest Market Natual Foods — 7417 Lancaster Pike

Best hospital: 701 N. Clayton St. (Wilmington)

Florida: Fort Lauderdale

Population: 175,153

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: LA Fitness — 1830 Cordova Road

Best organic food store: Tunie's — 900 N. Federal Highway

Best hospital: Broward Health Medical Center — 1600 S. Andrews Ave.

Georgia: Sandy Springs

Population: 102,212

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: LA Fitness — 6690 Roswell Road

Best organic food store: Vitality Bowls — 123 Perimeter Center W. Ste. 300

Best hospital: Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital — 5665 Peachtree Dunwoody Road

Hawaii: Honolulu

Population: 401,470

Overall Niche grade: B+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: UFC Gym Honolulu — 805 Pohukaina St.

Best organic food store: Down To Earth — 2525 S. King St.

Best hospital: The Queen's Medical Center — 1301 Punchbowl St.

Idaho: Boise

Population: 218,677

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A-

Best gym: Axiom Fitness — 7316 W. Fairview Ave.

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 1195 N. Milwaukee St.

Best hospital: St. Luke's Boise Medical Center — 190 E. Bannock St.

Illinois: Naperville

Population: 145,789

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Orangetheory Fitness — 8 W. Gartner Road

Best organic food store: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market Downers Grove — 325 Ogden Ave.

Best hospital: Edward Hospital - Main Campus — 801 S. Washington St.

Indiana: Fort Wayne

Population: 260,954

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: B

Best gym: Planet Fitness — 4530 Maplecrest Road

Best organic food store: Earth Fare — 704 E. DuPont Road

Best hospital: Parkview Medical Park — 11104 Parkview Circle

Iowa: Des Moines

Population: 212,859

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: B

Best gym: Kosama Downtown — 1905 Ingersoll Ave. Ste. 101-103

Best organic food store: Gateway Market and Cafe — 2002 Woodland Ave.

Best hospital: Iowa Lutheran Hospital — 700 E. University Ave.

Kansas: Overland Park

Population: 183,775

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: Prairie Life Fitness — 10351 Barkley St.

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 9108 Metcalf Ave.

Best hospital: Saint Luke's South Hospital — 12300 Metcalf Ave.

Kentucky: Lexington

Population: 311,529

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: B

Best gym: Beaumont Centre YMCA — 3250 Beaumont Centre Circle

Best organic food store: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market — 125 E. Reynolds Road

Best hospital: UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital — 1000 South Limestone

Louisiana: Metairie

Population: 144,772

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Planet Fitness — 100 N. Labarre Road

Best organic food store: The Fresh Market — 3338 Saint Charles Ave. (New Orleans)

Best hospital: East Jefferson General Hospital — 4200 Houma Blvd.

Maine: Portland

Population: 66,649

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Rêve Cycling Studio — 559 Forest Ave.

Best organic food store: Whole Foods Market — 2 Somerset St.

Best hospital: Mercy Hospital — 144 State St.

Maryland: Columbia

Population: 103,439

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Earth Treks Climbing Center — 7125 Columbia Gateway Drive Ste. C

Best organic food store: Whole Foods Market — 10275 Little Patuxent Parkway

Best hospital: Howard County General Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine — 5755 Cedar Lane

Massachusetts: Cambridge

Population: 108,757

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Zesiger Sports And Fitness Center — 120 Vassar St.

Best organic food store: Pemberton Farms & Garden Center — 2225 Massachusetts Ave.

Best hospital: Harvard University Health Services — 75 Mount Auburn St.

Michigan: Ann Arbor

Population: 118,087

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A-

Best gym: Health and Fitness Center — 4833 E. Huron River Drive

Best organic food store: Ann Arbor Farmers' Market — 315 Detroit St.

Best hospital: VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System — 2215 Fuller Road

Minnesota: Minneapolis

Population: 404,670

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: The FIRM — 1010 2nd Ave. N.

Best organic food store: Vitality Bowls Sunnyvale — 605 Tasman Drive Ste. H

Best hospital: University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview - West Bank — 2450 Riverside Ave.

Mississippi: Jackson

Population: 172,039

Overall Niche grade: C+

Health and fitness grade: B-

Best gym: Baptist Healthplex — 717 Manship St.

Best organic food store: Rainbow Natural Grocery Co-Op — 2807 Old Canton Road

Best hospital: Baptist Medical Center — 1225 N. State St.

Missouri: Columbia

Population: 117,165

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Wilson's Fitness — 2902 Forum Blvd.

Best organic food store: Lucky's Market — 111 S. Providence Road

Best hospital: Boone Hospital Center — 1600 E. Broadway

Montana: Billings

Population: 109,089

Overall Niche grade: B

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Yellowstone Fitness — 1595 Grand Ave.

Best organic food store: Lucky's Market — 1603 Grand Ave.

Best hospital: Billings Clinic Hospital — 2800 10th Ave. N.

Nebraska: Lincoln

Population: 273,018

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: YMCA Cooper Branch — 6767 S. 14th St.

Best organic food store: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market — 5220 O St.

Best hospital: Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital — 5401 South St.

Nevada: Paradise

Population: 229,666

Overall Niche grade: B+

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: Fitness Center at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino — 4455 Paradise Road (Las Vegas)

Best organic food store: Whole Foods Market — 6689 Las Vegas Blvd. (Las Vegas)

Best hospital: Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center — 3186 S Maryland Parkway

New Hampshire: Manchester

Population: 110,231

Overall Niche grade: B-

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: Planet Fitness — 736 Huse Road

Best organic food store: Farm and Flower Market — 15 Webster St.

Best hospital: Elliot Hospital — 1 Elliot Way

New Jersey: Jersey City

Population: 261,666

Overall Niche grade: B+

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: Base NJ — 60 Christopher Columbus Drive

Best organic food store: Green Farmers Market — 101 Plaza Ctr.

Best hospital: Jersey City Medical Center — 355 Grand St.

New Mexico: Albuquerque

Population: 556,859

Overall Niche grade: B+

Health and fitness grade: A-

Best gym: New Mexico Sports & Wellness - Del Norte — 7120 Wyoming Blvd. NE Ste. 8B

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 4420 Wyoming Blvd. NE

Best hospital: Lovelace Medical Center - Downtown — 601 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. NE

New York: New York City

Population: 8,461,961

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Equinox West 50th Street — 1633 Broadway

Best organic food store: East Village Organic — 24 1st Ave.

Best hospital: Hospital for Special Surgery — 535 E. 70th St.

North Carolina: Raleigh

Population: 441,326

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A-

Best gym: Carmichael Gym — 2611 Cates Ave.

Best organic food store: Sprouts Farmers Market — 105 W. NC Highway 54

Best hospital: WakeMed Health & Hospitals — 3700 New Bern Ave.

North Dakota: Fargo

Population: 115,950

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Family Wellness Center — 2960 Seter Parkway S.

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 4517 13th Ave. S.

Best hospital: Essentia Health-Fargo — 3000 32nd Ave. S.

Ohio: Cincinnati

Population: 298,011

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: B-

Best gym: Mayerson JCC — 8485 Ridge Road

Best organic food store: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market — 11349 Montgomery Road

Best hospital: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center — 3333 Burnet Ave.

Oklahoma: Tulsa

Population: 399,906

Overall Niche grade: B+

Health and fitness grade: B

Best gym: St. Francis Health Zone — 5353 E 68th St.

Best organic food store: Sprouts Farmers Market — 4123 S. Harvard Ave.

Best hospital: St. Francis Hospital — 6161 S. Yale Ave.

Oregon: Portland

Population: 620,589

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Sunset Athletic Club — 13939 NW Cornell Road

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 3975 SE Powell Blvd.

Best hospital: Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center — 1015 NW 22nd Ave.

Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh

Population: 305,305

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A-

Best gym: Fitness Factory — 212 S. Highland Ave.

Best organic food store: East End Food Co-Op — 7516 Meade St.

Best hospital: UPMC Mercy — 1400 Locust St.

Rhode Island: Providence

Population: 178,851

Overall Niche grade: B

Health and fitness grade: A-

Best gym: Nelson Fitness Center — 235 Hope St.

Best organic food store: Whole Foods Market — 261 Waterman St.

Best hospital: Roger Williams Medical Center — 825 Chalkstone Ave.

South Carolina: Charleston

Population: 129,888

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Pure Barre Market Street — 164 Market St. Unit C 

Best organic food store: Earth Fare — 74 Folly Road Blvd.

Best hospital: Roper Hospital — 316 Calhoun St.

South Dakota: Sioux Falls

Population: 167,884

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Avera McKennan Fitness Center — 3400 S. Southeastern Ave.

Best organic food store: The Co-Op Natural Foods — 410 W. 18th St.

Best hospital: Sanford USD Medical Center — 1305 W. 18th St.

Tennessee: Murfreesboro

Population: 122,007

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: B

Best gym: Gold's Gym — 1713 Old Fort Parkway

Best organic food store: Rutherford County Farmers Market — 315 John R. Rice Blvd.

Best hospital: St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital — 1700 Medical Center Parkway

Texas: Plano

Population: 279,088

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Flywheel Sports — 3063 Bolling Way NE

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 677 W. Campbell Road #100

Best hospital: Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano — 6200 W. Parker Road

Utah: Salt Lake City

Population: 191,446

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A

Best gym: Ultimate Combat Training Center — 555 E. 2100 South

Best organic food store: Natural Grocers — 645 E. 400 South Ste. A

Best hospital: University of Utah Hospital — 50 N. Medical Drive

Vermont: Burlington

Population: 42,556

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Marketplace Fitness — 27 Church St.

Best organic food store: City Market (Onion River Co-Op) — 82 S. Winooski Ave.

Best hospital: University of Vermont Medical Center — 111 Colchester Ave.

Virginia: Arlington

Population: 226,092

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Gold's Gym — 1220 N. Fillmore St., # 150

Best organic food store: Trader Joe's — 1109 N. Highland St.

Best hospital: MedStar Georgetown University Hospital — 3800 Reservoir Road NW

Washington: Seattle

Population: 668,849

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: The Bar Method — 124 Westlake Ave. N.

Best organic food store: PCC Community Markets — 3610 S. Edmunds St.

Best hospital: UW Medical Center — 1959 NE Pacific St.

West Virginia: Westover

Population: 4,180

Overall Niche grade: A-

Health and fitness grade: A-

Best gym: Pro Performance Rx 2500 University Town Centre Drive (Morgantown)

Best organic food store: Kroger — 500 Suncrest Town Centre Drive (Morgantown)

Best hospital: Monongalia General Hospital — 1209 J D Anderson Drive

Wisconsin: Madison

Population: 246,034

Overall Niche grade: A+

Health and fitness grade: B+

Best gym: Boulders Climbing Gym — 3964 Commercial Ave.

Best organic food store: Willy Street Co-Op — 1221 Williamson St.

Best hospital: University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics — 600 Highland Ave.

Wyoming: Moose Wilson Road

Population: 1,736

Overall Niche grade: A

Health and fitness grade: A+

Best gym: Ski Barre — 3465 N. Pines Way Ste. 101

Best organic food store: Lucky's Market — 974 W. Broadway (Jackson)

Best hospital: Teton County Hospital District - St. John's Medical Center — 625 E Broadway Ave. (Jackson)

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