America’s Fittest Cities of 2026 Includes Familiar Favorite as Winner

The latest ACSM American Fitness Index reveals the top U.S. cities for health and fitness, with one East Coast city extending its long-running streak at No. 1

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), in partnership with the Elevance Health Foundation, has released the 2026 American Fitness Index, ranking the 100 largest U.S. cities using 35 indicators across personal health, community infrastructure and environmental conditions.

This year’s report shows a widening gap between cities that prioritize movement and those where residents have fewer opportunities to walk, bike and exercise and increasingly face higher rates of obesity, chronic disease and food insecurity.

Top 5 Fittest Cities in America, 2026:

1. Arlington, Virginia

Arlington remains the country’s fittest city for the ninth consecutive year. It ranked first for personal health and continued to perform strongly across physical activity, park access and transportation infrastructure. The Virginia city also reported good air quality on 84.4% of days, one of the highest rates among the cities studied.

2. Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., ranked first in the Index’s community and environment category, reflecting its parks, trails, public transportation and infrastructure supporting walking and biking. The city also dedicates 21.5% of its land area to parks, placing it among the national leaders on the Index’s updated park measure.

3. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis moved into the top three this year after ranking sixth in 2025. The city placed second for community and environment, supported by active transportation, recreation infrastructure and access to outdoor athletic fields. It also recorded a 19% improvement in the share of days with good air quality.

4. Seattle, Washington

Seattle continues to rank among the healthiest major U.S. cities, placing second in personal health. Its residents benefit from high physical activity levels and an environment that supports walking, biking, recreation and outdoor living.

5. Denver, Colorado

Denver rounds out the top five, ranking highly across both personal health and community conditions. The city continues to benefit from strong exercise participation, access to recreation and infrastructure that helps residents incorporate movement into their daily routines.

Best of the Rest

San Francisco ranked sixth, followed by Irvine, Atlanta, Madison and Boston. Irvine returned to the top 10 after moving from No. 12 to No. 7, while Boston climbed from No. 13 to No. 10.

Richmond made the largest jump in the rankings, moving up 20 places to No. 20 and increasing its overall score by 7.2 points. Charlotte rose 19 spots to No. 42, while Virginia Beach gained 18 places to reach No. 61.

Nearly 79% of residents across the 100 cities reported exercising at least once in the previous month, but only 30.5% met both aerobic and strength activity guidelines.

Food insecurity was one of the report’s most concerning trends. The average rate increased from 12.9% to 14.4%, with 99 of the 100 cities reporting higher levels than the previous year. The data reflects 2023 conditions, meaning more recent increases in food prices may not yet be fully captured.

Air quality also varied sharply. Cities averaged good air quality on 51% of days, but results ranged from 9% to 98.4%. Honolulu reported the highest share of good air quality days, while several Arizona cities, including Scottsdale, Phoenix, Glendale and Chandler, were at the bottom.

This year’s Fitness Index updated two community indicators. Park availability is now measured as a percentage of total city area rather than parks per 10,000 residents, while the former ball-diamond measure was expanded to include soccer, football, softball and other outdoor athletic fields.

“The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise, said Stella Volpe, past president of ACSM and the chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board. “They make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation and community design.”