Do you live in one of the healthiest cities in the country?
Despite its reputation, America is full of individuals who put a concerted effort into taking care of their health and wellness, but depending on where you live, you may have an easier time doing just that. Some cities have ample opportunities for fitness, whether in gyms or hiking trails, and healthy diet via farmer's markets while other destinations may have a scarcity of nutritious ingredients or are in a food desert.
WalletHub compared nearly 200 cities around the U.S., including to two most populated spots in every state, to determine the "healthiest and unhealthiest cities" in the country. Four cities in Tennessee each found a spot in the lower half of the list:
- No. 114: Knoxville
- No. 119: Nashville
- No. 130: Chattanooga
- No. 174: Memphis
Coming in at No. 114 overall, Knoxville may be the healthiest Tennessee destination on the list, but it is still among the least healthy in the country. Memphis ranked near the bottom of the list, earning low marks across all categories.
To determine its ranking, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities across four factors: health care, food, fitness and green space. These factors were then evaluated using 41 relevant metrics, including mental health, physical health, cost of medical visit, quality of public hospital system, healthy restaurants per capita, share of obese adults, limited access to healthy foods, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, fitness & instruction centers per capita, quality of parks, walk score, bike score and recreation access, among others.
See the full list of healthiest and unhealthiest cities in America at wallethub.com. You can also check out our previous coverage of the Tennessee cities named among of the unhappiest in the country.