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Arlington, Va., Named ‘Fittest City’ in 2021 American Fitness Index® Ranking of Top 100
American College of Sports Medicine
7 min read

COVID-19 underscores need to return to basics of physical activity; food insecurity and sleep added to evidence-based indicators of holistic health

Indianapolis, Indiana, July 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arlington, Virginia, has been named “America’s Fittest City” in the annual American Fitness Index® rankings published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc.

The ACSM / Anthem Fitness Index evaluated America’s 100 largest cities using 34 evidence-based indicators. Rounding out the top 10 fittest cities are Minneapolis, Minnesota; Seattle, Washington; Denver, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Washington, D.C.; St. Paul, Minnesota; Irvine, California; Portland, Oregon; and Atlanta, Georgia, which cracked the top 10 for the first time. Full rankings and scores, a summary report, city comparison tool and other insights are accessible on the Fitness Index website.

“Beyond the health and wellness benefits of being a fit city, we know there are many economic advantages as well,” said Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., chief health officer, Anthem, Inc. “Cities designed to encourage physical activity have enjoyed higher home values, business and job growth, and more robust retail activity — leading to overall improved social drivers of health for our communities. We encourage city leaders and planners to take bold action in driving improvements in their community, regardless of where they rank. There is always room to grow.”

Now in its 14th year, the Fitness Index offers city leaders valuable research to make potentially life-changing decisions in policy, systems and environmental change strategies to drive fitness and health improvements in their communities. The Fitness Index Advisory Board added two new indicators this year — food insecurity and sleep — to highlight the importance of a holistic perspective in personal and community fitness.

The results show too many of us sleep too little and don’t have access to nutritious food. St. Louis, Missouri, ranked #1 in food insecurity at 18.2%, with Baltimore, Maryland, and New Orleans, Louisiana, close behind at 18%. Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.

In the area of sleep, data revealed fewer than 65% of residents in the top 100 cities reported getting adequate amounts (seven hours or more per day). Four Texas cities — Lubbock, Arlington, Fort Worth and Corpus Christi — were among the top 10 cities whose residents reported getting at least seven hours of sleep. Residents of Cleveland, Ohio, reported getting the least sleep, with only 53.3% of residents achieving seven-plus hours a day.

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