Salt Lake Ranked 15th Fittest City in the Nation

Each year the American Fitness Index puts together a snapshot of the overall health of metropolitan areas throughout America. Salt Lake City, UT, is ranked as the fifteen fittest city in the nation.

Using various criteria, from access to parks and recreational centers to smoking and unemployment rates, researchers gave each area a total score and ranking.

The top 14 cities, starting with number one, are: Minneapolis; Washington; Boston; Portland; Denver; San Francisco; Hartford, Conn.; Seattle; Virginia Beach; Sacramento; San Jose; Richmond, Va.; San Diego and Cincinnati.

Salt Lake City, as No. 15 out of 50, boasts lower unemployment rates as well as a lower percentage of households below the poverty level, which contribute to the overall health of this area. The report outlined the health strengths and opportunities of each metropolitan area, as well challenges that hinder the improvement of fitness and health.


A health strength of this area is the higher percentage of residents in the Salt Lake City area that are at least moderately physically active, which includes the higher percentage of people who bicycle or walk to work.

The percentage of people who are currently smoking, have angina or coronary heart disease and diabetes is lower in this area.

State requirements for P.E. classes are on a higher level in Salt Lake City and there are more park playgrounds, dog parks, golf courses and tennis courts per capita.

Where Salt Lake City falls behind is in the decreased amount of ball diamonds, recreation centers, swimming pools and farmers' markets per capita.

A higher percentage of people in Salt Lake City also experience days when their mental health was not good during the past 30 days.

According to the AFI research, the more fit cities in America had higher income levels, lower unemployment rates and fewer households below the poverty level. Another factor of overall health relates to the type of work a person does. The researchers found that individuals in more sedentary careers, white collar professionals, were more likely to exercise outside of work, whereas blue collar workers were less likely to spend their free time working out.

For a complete list of data on each of the 50 ranked metropolitan areas, visit http://www.americanfitnessindex.org/.

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