Chicago Ranked 12th Fittest City in America

The City of Broad Shoulders measures up to its moniker in terms of fitness. In a newly released list of the 50 fittest metropolitan areas in the U.S., Chicago came in at No. 12.

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The annual report, called the American Fitness Index, is published by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation.

This year's ranking is a slight improvement over 2015, when the city ranked 17th out of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the country.

In the report, metropolitan areas were ranked on personal health indictors, such as percentage of smokers in the population; chronic health problems like the prevalence of obesity in the population; and community and environmental indictors, which include the number of farmers’ markets, playgrounds and recreational centers per capita.

Chicago’s ranking can be attributed to its high walk score; a high percentage of people using public transportation, bicycling or walking to work; and the number of farmers’ markets, playgrounds and recreation centers per capita, among others.

Below, see a list of the top 15 fittest cities. Click here for a breakdown of the 50 largest cities in terms of fitness. 

No. 1: Washington, D.C.

(U.S. Navy photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway via Wikimedia Commons) (U.S. Navy photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 2: Minneapolis

(AlexiusHoratius via Wikimedia Commons)(AlexiusHoratius via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 3: Denver, Colorado

(Larry Johnson / Flickr)(Larry Johnson / Flickr)

No. 4: Portland, Oregon

(Andy85719 via Wikimedia Commons)(Andy85719 via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 5: San Francisco

(Paul.h  via Wikimedia Commons)(Paul.h via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 6: Seattle

(Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Commons)(Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 7: Boston

(David Wilson / Flickr)(David Wilson / Flickr)

No. 8: Salt Lake City

(Garrett / Flickr)(Garrett / Flickr)

No. 9: Hartford, Connecticut

(Elipongo via Wikimedia Commons)(Elipongo via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 10: San Diego

No. 11: San Jose, California

(Tim Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)(Tim Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 12: Chicago

(Allen McGregor via Wikimedia Commons)(Allen McGregor via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 13: Sacramento, California

(J.smith via Wikimedia Commons)(J.smith via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 14: Atlanta

(Jtesla16 via Wikimedia Commons)(Jtesla16 via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 15.5: Austin, Texas*

(LoneStarMike via Wikimedia Commons)(LoneStarMike via Wikimedia Commons)

No. 15.5: Raleigh, North Carolina*

(Mark Turner via Wikimedia Commons)(Mark Turner via Wikimedia Commons)

*There was a tie in the ranking between the metropolitan areas, according to the report.


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