Baltimore ranked 17 in the American College Of Sport’s Medicine American Fitness Index, which gives measurement to health and fitness in the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The sixth annual report aims to evaluate preventative health behaviors, levels of chronic diseases, health care access and resources in different communities and guidelines that encourage health and fitness.
The state of Baltimore also ranked 19 for personal health, chronic health, and health care access. The area ranked ten on communities/ environmental facilities, park related areas, physical education requirements, and primary health care providers.
The metropolitan rankings included in the 2013 AFI report are:
Rank Metropolitan Area 2012 Score 2011 Rank 2011 Score
1. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. 78.2 1 76.4
2. Washington, D.C. 77.7 2 75.8
3. Portland, Ore. 69.8 7 67.9
4. San Francisco, Calif. 68.7 4 69
5. Denver, Colo. 68.1 9 65.6
6. Boston, Mass. 67.1 3 70
7. Sacramento, Calif. 66.8 6 68.4
8. Seattle, Wash. 66.7 8 67.8
9. Hartford, Conn. 66.6 5 68.5
10. San Jose, Calif. 66.4 12 62.2
11. Austin, Texas 63.6 10 63.4
12. Salt Lake City, Utah 62.5 13 59.8
13. Cincinnati, Ohio 61.4 20 56.2
14. San Diego, Calif. 61.3 16 58.3
15. Raleigh, N.C. 60.3 14 58.8
16. Pittsburgh, Pa. 59.9 15 58.7
17. Baltimore, Md. 59.5 19 56.8
18. Virginia Beach, Va. 58.3 11 63.2
19. Cleveland, Ohio 55.1* 23 52.4
20. Richmond, Va. 55.1* 17 57.2*
21. Atlanta, Ga. 53.6 21 53.8
22. Providence, R.I. 53.5 18 57.2*
23. Buffalo, N.Y. 53.2 25 49
24. New York, N.Y. 52.1 22 52.8
25. Philadelphia, Pa. 51.2 24 52.1
26. Milwaukee, Wis. 51.2 30 46.8
27. Chicago, Ill. 50.8 28 47.3*
28. Kansas City, Mo. 50.4 29 47.2
29. Los Angeles, Calif. 48.3 38 41.2
30. Columbus, Ohio 48.2 40 39.8
31. St. Louis, Mo. 47.1 32 44.2
32. Nashville, Tenn. 44.5 27 47.3*
33. Phoenix, Ariz. 44 26 47.9
34. Orlando, Fla. 42.5* 41 39.2
35. Riverside, Calif. 42.5* 34 43.1*
36. Charlotte, N.C. 42.2 33 43.1*
37. Jacksonville, Fla. 41.8 35 42.6
38. New Orleans, La. 41.6 37 42.2
39. Las Vegas, Nev. 41.6 39 40
40. Tampa, Fla. 40.1 36 42.4
41. Birmingham, Ala. 39 46 36.1
42. Miami, Fla. 38.4 31 45.2
43. Houston, Texas 38.3 45 36.4
44. Dallas, Texas 37.4 47 35.1
45. Indianapolis, Ind. 36.8 43 37.3
46. Memphis, Tenn. 36 44 36.8
47. Louisville, Ky. 35.2 48 32.1
48. San Antonio, Texas 35.1 42 38
49. Detroit, Mich. 33.6 49 29.4
50. Oklahoma City, Okla. 31.2 50 28.2
Overall, great news for Baltimore. Keep living a healthy life!
