What are the 10 most and least healthy cities in the United States

The personal finance site WalletHub conducted a study of 180 cities in the country in which they evaluated 43 categories divided into four groups of access to health, healthy food, the possibility of physical exercise and the number of green spaces. To each of the metrics, WalletHub assigned a rating that could range from zero to one hundred, from the worst conditions to the best. Depending on the final score of each city, they drew up the ranking.

In the categories everything was evaluated. From the cost of health care, the number of professionals in the area, to the number of fruits and vegetables consumed, to the offer of healthy meals. The ranking is carried out annually, with data collected for a whole month. This year, the number of COVID-19 cases in the area was incorporated as a measure.

“The data comes from reliable sources, mostly government agencies such as the census bureau, the community and economic research council, the labor department, and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control),” said Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst in charge of the study, in a statement sent to the media.

What put San Francisco, California, at the top of the ranking was the wide access to physical and mental health care, as well as the fact that 83 percent of the population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

In contrast, Brownsville, Texas, came last on the list because of the small number of health professionals living in the city, and because of the limited supply of healthy meals in its restaurants. In addition, according to CDC data, Brownsville has the highest percentage of obese population in the country, something directly related to the lack of healthy food options.

“Another remarkable fact in Brownsville is the lack of physical exercise that the population does. 61% of residents say they don't perform any type of physical activity consistently,” said González.

Regarding the percentage of people in poor physical condition, the city of Fermont, in California, has the lowest percentage with 8 percent of its population falling into this category. In contrast, in Huntington, West Virginia, 19.6 percent of the population is considered to be physically ill.

Laredo, in Texas, has the lowest cost for medical visits, averaging $56 per visit. Almost four times as high is the cost of medical visits in Juneau, Alaska, where seeing a doctor costs on average $219.

In Gulfport, Mississippi, 51.8 percent of the population eats fruit at least once a day. In two Vermont cities, Burlington and South Burlington, less than 30.4 percent of the population has fruit within their eating habits.

The cost of access to gyms was also taken into account. In Glendale, Arizona, and Lewiston, Maine, for an average of $15 a month you can have a gym membership. In New York City, the figure rises to $198 a month.

10 healthiest cities in the United States:

· San Francisco, California

· Seattle, Washington

· San Diego, California

· Portland, Oregon

· Salt Lake City, Utah

· Honolulu, Hawaii

· Austin, Texas

· Denver, Colorado

· South Burlington, Vermont

· Washington, D.C.

10 least healthy cities in the United States:

· Montgomery, Alabama

· Columbus, Georgia

· Augusta, Georgia

· Shreveport, Louisiana

· Charleston, West Virginia

· Jackson, Mississippi

· Memphis, Tennessee

· Laredo, Texas

· Gulfport, Mississippi

· Brownsville, Texas

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