WASHINGTON — Detroit has been touted as being “America’s Comeback City” by some since declaring bankruptcy in 2013, but a 2017 study does The Motor City no favors in its revitalization efforts. According to WalletHub, Detroit is the unhealthiest city in America, as opposed to San Francisco, which got the top grade in a study of the country’s 150 most populated cities.
To reach their findings, WalletHub graded each city using 34 categories as metrics along with a specific weight for each category. The categories were split among four groups that accounted for 25 points each: health care, food, fitness, and green space. The higher the score, the healthier the city.

Categories considered in the study included mental health counselors per capita, cost of medical visit, and quality of public hospitals for health care; healthy restaurants per capita, share of obese residents, and produce consumption for categories under food; fitness clubs per capita, weight loss centers per capital, and share of residents who engage in any physical activity for categories in fitness; and quality of parks, bike score, and walking trails per capita among the categories for green space.
The top five healthiest cities in America were (1-5): San Francisco, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.
The unhealthiest cities were (146-150): Shreveport, La.; Laredo, TX; Memphis, Tenn.; Brownsville, TX; Detroit, Mich.
The full list from WalletHub.com:
Overall Rank | City | Total Score | ‘Health Care’ Rank | ‘Food’ Rank | ‘Fitness’ Rank | ‘Green Space’ Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | San Francisco, CA | 68.06 | 29 | 1 | 37 | 3 |
2 | Salt Lake City, UT | 67.50 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
3 | Scottsdale, AZ | 67.14 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 15 |
4 | Seattle, WA | 67.08 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
5 | Portland, OR | 65.16 | 49 | 2 | 18 | 10 |
6 | Irvine, CA | 63.96 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
7 | Huntington Beach, CA | 63.23 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 16 |
8 | Honolulu, HI | 62.67 | 8 | 5 | 53 | 11 |
9 | Washington, DC | 60.24 | 13 | 9 | 73 | 9 |
10 | Santa Clarita, CA | 59.67 | 10 | 38 | 44 | 1 |
11 | Tempe, AZ | 58.92 | 48 | 15 | 5 | 49 |
12 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 58.87 | 45 | 17 | 14 | 21 |
13 | Fremont, CA | 58.82 | 21 | 14 | 35 | 18 |
14 | Boise, ID | 58.36 | 18 | 47 | 23 | 12 |
15 | Minneapolis, MN | 58.19 | 6 | 22 | 63 | 13 |
16 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 57.72 | 76 | 77 | 6 | 4 |
17 | Denver, CO | 57.65 | 38 | 13 | 22 | 27 |
18 | Lincoln, NE | 57.03 | 3 | 51 | 40 | 20 |
19 | Madison, WI | 56.99 | 16 | 33 | 38 | 19 |
20 | Orlando, FL | 56.44 | 94 | 8 | 19 | 55 |
21 | Atlanta, GA | 56.42 | 110 | 30 | 2 | 46 |
22 | Glendale, CA | 56.26 | 40 | 39 | 49 | 2 |
23 | Santa Rosa, CA | 56.25 | 92 | 20 | 50 | 5 |
24 | Plano, TX | 55.96 | 9 | 37 | 24 | 42 |
25 | Overland Park, KS | 55.76 | 1 | 88 | 16 | 95 |
26 | Vancouver, WA | 55.54 | 80 | 34 | 4 | 73 |
27 | Tampa, FL | 55.50 | 62 | 35 | 10 | 45 |
28 | Sacramento, CA | 54.66 | 67 | 12 | 66 | 22 |
29 | San Diego, CA | 54.61 | 53 | 23 | 41 | 25 |
30 | Oakland, CA | 54.41 | 82 | 6 | 81 | 39 |
31 | Boston, MA | 54.06 | 33 | 28 | 51 | 31 |
32 | Austin, TX | 53.82 | 30 | 21 | 56 | 33 |
33 | San Jose, CA | 53.78 | 4 | 18 | 75 | 64 |
34 | Richmond, VA | 53.56 | 52 | 41 | 28 | 43 |
35 | Raleigh, NC | 53.55 | 11 | 44 | 15 | 84 |
36 | Peoria, AZ | 53.46 | 64 | 106 | 25 | 7 |
37 | Reno, NV | 53.17 | 113 | 19 | 29 | 36 |
38 | St. Louis, MO | 53.02 | 108 | 49 | 20 | 28 |
39 | Tallahassee, FL | 53.01 | 56 | 119 | 34 | 8 |
40 | Sioux Falls, SD | 52.76 | 2 | 120 | 21 | 93 |
41 | Springfield, MO | 52.56 | 15 | 123 | 26 | 37 |
42 | Miami, FL | 52.46 | 105 | 7 | 84 | 51 |
43 | Virginia Beach, VA | 52.28 | 24 | 66 | 45 | 35 |
44 | Pittsburgh, PA | 51.71 | 23 | 45 | 33 | 72 |
45 | Spokane, WA | 51.64 | 78 | 48 | 47 | 29 |
46 | St. Paul, MN | 51.50 | 19 | 60 | 61 | 38 |
47 | Gilbert, AZ | 51.44 | 22 | 75 | 8 | 80 |
48 | Chandler, AZ | 51.27 | 32 | 63 | 11 | 100 |
49 | Garden Grove, CA | 51.23 | 36 | 25 | 88 | 67 |
50 | Long Beach, CA | 51.07 | 51 | 24 | 80 | 40 |
51 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 50.56 | 25 | 71 | 27 | 123 |
52 | Rochester, NY | 50.40 | 107 | 29 | 72 | 30 |
53 | Durham, NC | 50.32 | 58 | 58 | 36 | 62 |
54 | Cincinnati, OH | 50.28 | 119 | 26 | 31 | 68 |
55 | Colorado Springs, CO | 50.14 | 28 | 82 | 57 | 44 |
56 | Chesapeake, VA | 50.08 | 35 | 98 | 68 | 23 |
57 | Worcester, MA | 49.73 | 68 | 68 | 39 | 70 |
58 | St. Petersburg, FL | 49.72 | 66 | 65 | 30 | 66 |
59 | Anaheim, CA | 49.69 | 41 | 27 | 71 | 76 |
60 | Aurora, CO | 49.63 | 34 | 52 | 60 | 65 |
61 | Las Vegas, NV | 49.23 | 135 | 43 | 9 | 90 |
62 | Oceanside, CA | 49.13 | 73 | 93 | 32 | 83 |
63 | Grand Rapids, MI | 49.10 | 14 | 59 | 97 | 56 |
64 | Henderson, NV | 49.05 | 101 | 118 | 17 | 48 |
65 | Tacoma, WA | 48.96 | 109 | 54 | 42 | 77 |
66 | Albuquerque, NM | 48.52 | 42 | 56 | 69 | 58 |
67 | Buffalo, NY | 48.25 | 77 | 40 | 77 | 58 |
68 | Anchorage, AK | 47.82 | 100 | 55 | 99 | 26 |
69 | Yonkers, NY | 47.52 | 37 | 57 | 104 | 53 |
70 | Omaha, NE | 47.06 | 17 | 89 | 67 | 92 |
71 | Glendale, AZ | 46.79 | 79 | 87 | 86 | 41 |
72 | Knoxville, TN | 46.40 | 128 | 86 | 64 | 34 |
73 | Little Rock, AR | 46.23 | 57 | 122 | 52 | 63 |
74 | Modesto, CA | 46.20 | 122 | 104 | 54 | 50 |
75 | Los Angeles, CA | 45.95 | 70 | 32 | 109 | 78 |
76 | Des Moines, IA | 45.76 | 7 | 114 | 92 | 98 |
77 | Mesa, AZ | 45.66 | 71 | 78 | 46 | 112 |
78 | Providence, RI | 45.58 | 134 | 74 | 78 | 32 |
79 | Chicago, IL | 44.78 | 60 | 69 | 130 | 47 |
80 | Tucson, AZ | 44.68 | 121 | 70 | 65 | 81 |
81 | Charlotte, NC | 44.30 | 46 | 109 | 55 | 119 |
82 | Norfolk, VA | 44.15 | 98 | 79 | 110 | 54 |
83 | Jersey City, NJ | 44.15 | 55 | 31 | 136 | 94 |
84 | Baltimore, MD | 44.01 | 125 | 53 | 120 | 52 |
85 | Phoenix, AZ | 44.00 | 96 | 85 | 91 | 75 |
86 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 43.97 | 91 | 131 | 48 | 125 |
87 | Newport News, VA | 43.77 | 75 | 90 | 103 | 87 |
88 | Huntsville, AL | 43.72 | 123 | 117 | 70 | 60 |
89 | Santa Ana, CA | 43.63 | 95 | 50 | 119 | 91 |
90 | Philadelphia, PA | 43.42 | 126 | 46 | 131 | 57 |
91 | New Orleans, LA | 43.13 | 146 | 121 | 87 | 24 |
92 | Aurora, IL | 43.10 | 44 | 94 | 124 | 88 |
93 | Irving, TX | 42.91 | 103 | 72 | 111 | 99 |
94 | Fontana, CA | 42.90 | 133 | 95 | 83 | 86 |
95 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 42.75 | 26 | 113 | 98 | 108 |
96 | New York, NY | 42.65 | 85 | 36 | 146 | 61 |
97 | Riverside, CA | 42.50 | 124 | 76 | 74 | 104 |
98 | Garland, TX | 42.50 | 81 | 62 | 106 | 114 |
99 | Nashville, TN | 42.42 | 54 | 105 | 101 | 96 |
100 | Greensboro, NC | 42.39 | 72 | 132 | 85 | 71 |
101 | Fort Wayne, IN | 42.11 | 47 | 135 | 62 | 101 |
102 | Lubbock, TX | 42.06 | 63 | 130 | 58 | 113 |
103 | Chula Vista, CA | 41.88 | 65 | 110 | 90 | 116 |
104 | Milwaukee, WI | 41.65 | 61 | 81 | 138 | 85 |
105 | Oxnard, CA | 41.55 | 111 | 80 | 135 | 79 |
106 | Kansas City, MO | 41.52 | 39 | 108 | 113 | 106 |
107 | Ontario, CA | 41.36 | 136 | 64 | 128 | 110 |
108 | Akron, OH | 41.05 | 74 | 99 | 132 | 89 |
109 | Grand Prairie, TX | 40.50 | 90 | 83 | 144 | 105 |
110 | Arlington, TX | 40.26 | 86 | 97 | 100 | 129 |
111 | Dallas, TX | 39.95 | 104 | 67 | 118 | 134 |
112 | Jacksonville, FL | 39.84 | 129 | 101 | 96 | 117 |
113 | Cape Coral, FL | 39.69 | 118 | 136 | 76 | 109 |
114 | Columbus, OH | 39.66 | 83 | 107 | 116 | 118 |
115 | Louisville, KY | 39.22 | 115 | 96 | 112 | 121 |
116 | Wichita, KS | 39.11 | 59 | 129 | 82 | 131 |
117 | Fayetteville, NC | 39.10 | 120 | 145 | 59 | 140 |
118 | Moreno Valley, CA | 39.03 | 137 | 100 | 142 | 74 |
119 | Birmingham, AL | 38.89 | 141 | 102 | 95 | 130 |
120 | Stockton, CA | 38.41 | 112 | 73 | 127 | 126 |
121 | Houston, TX | 38.37 | 87 | 103 | 114 | 138 |
122 | Cleveland, OH | 38.27 | 139 | 61 | 141 | 103 |
123 | Amarillo, TX | 38.15 | 88 | 138 | 121 | 82 |
124 | Fort Worth, TX | 37.88 | 106 | 91 | 108 | 146 |
125 | Winston-Salem, NC | 37.72 | 99 | 144 | 122 | 97 |
126 | Columbus, GA | 37.51 | 138 | 134 | 126 | 69 |
127 | Jackson, MS | 37.41 | 50 | 139 | 93 | 148 |
128 | San Antonio, TX | 37.34 | 84 | 112 | 115 | 142 |
129 | Montgomery, AL | 37.08 | 131 | 141 | 89 | 128 |
130 | Tulsa, OK | 36.97 | 89 | 125 | 102 | 136 |
131 | Fresno, CA | 36.92 | 132 | 111 | 123 | 122 |
132 | Chattanooga, TN | 36.91 | 144 | 147 | 79 | 102 |
133 | Hialeah, FL | 36.88 | 102 | 42 | 150 | 141 |
134 | Indianapolis, IN | 36.85 | 93 | 115 | 125 | 135 |
135 | San Bernardino, CA | 36.60 | 147 | 92 | 134 | 115 |
136 | Bakersfield, CA | 36.40 | 127 | 116 | 105 | 139 |
137 | Oklahoma City, OK | 35.78 | 69 | 126 | 129 | 137 |
138 | Mobile, AL | 35.61 | 149 | 148 | 43 | 149 |
139 | El Paso, TX | 35.29 | 116 | 137 | 117 | 124 |
140 | Baton Rouge, LA | 35.18 | 145 | 140 | 94 | 107 |
141 | Augusta, GA | 34.32 | 140 | 124 | 107 | 150 |
142 | Toledo, OH | 33.92 | 97 | 127 | 139 | 143 |
143 | Newark, NJ | 33.28 | 143 | 84 | 147 | 133 |
144 | North Las Vegas, NV | 32.69 | 142 | 133 | 145 | 111 |
145 | Corpus Christi, TX | 32.56 | 130 | 143 | 133 | 132 |
146 | Shreveport, LA | 32.44 | 114 | 149 | 137 | 147 |
147 | Laredo, TX | 30.65 | 43 | 146 | 149 | 127 |
148 | Memphis, TN | 29.77 | 150 | 128 | 140 | 144 |
149 | Brownsville, TX | 28.54 | 117 | 150 | 143 | 145 |
150 | Detroit, MI | 28.37 | 148 | 142 | 148 | 120 |
The WalletHub.com list also included a breakdown of best and worst cities for several of the categories, including the cities with the highest and lowest costs of medical care, highest and lowest premature death rates, and highest and lowest costs of memberships to fitness centers. They also break down the weighted values per category to fully explain their methodology.
The top twenty are leftist turd farms, just like Detroit.
Used to love francisco It is now a dump with mental patients controlling the streets, not to mention the elite are light years ahead financially than the the working and middle class.
Detroit will never recover. It’s not possible, unfortunately. Once a city goes black, it never comes back.
something really skewed with this ranking system – Baltimore is a hellhole, from one end to the other. I drive thru it every month and pray i don’t get a flat tire, with all the potholes and run down sections of town. I imagined it was what Detroit looks like, from the photos i’ve seen of Detroit
Yet Baltimore scored a 44.00????
This is healthy the same way Michelle Obama’s ridiculous lunches were “healthy.” Trendy stupidity doesn’t equate to actual health.
Clearly they are not talking about mental health… San Francisco has more crazies per capita than anywhere else.
Bwahahahaha ….Riiiiiiight This is such Bravo Sierra. Sorry lefties, the gay lifestyle is the opposite of a healthy lifestyle. There’s a reason it’s known as San Fran Sicko. This is akin to the morons in Hollywood congratulating, honoring and giving awards to each other.
Washington DC? really. The cost per health unit has to be by far the highest in the nation, that is the amount of money the government spends per local versus the amount actually produced by that or collected by that local. Washington DC is is a disgrace. Liberals and Conservatives alike should be disgusted by what DC has become.
Completely arbitrary criteria…..some of the California cities mentioned are disgusting and full of gang members…
In the words of Frank Carter. It makes me violently angry when I see you alive
You’re a fucking mistake, you’re an embarrassment mate
You think you’re funny and you’re clever but you’re just a disgrace
I wanna hit you with the force of an asteroid from space
I wanna fall out of the sky right into your stupid face
I wanna smash you like extinction as if you life was just a waste
I wanna be a fucking dagger right between your shoulder blades
I fucking hate you #4
The science is cystal clear as global warming, eating anus and men sticking their manhood where another man defecates is not healthy. Obviously the study avoided lifestyle habits and STD’s
No one in their right mind would look at the data on STDs, drug and alcohol abuse, crime, homelessness and pollution and conclude that San Francisco is the healthiest anything, let alone at all comparable to Salt Lake City on any of those criteria.
San Francisco the healthiness, huh???
The extreme cost of living in San Francisco has made many people homeless.
There are homeless camps everywhere and the crime rate has soared.
Illegal aliens everywhere!
H1Bs everywhere!
These statistics are worthless!
Have a nice day…
Look what they used to determine “healthy”. What a giant load of GARBAGE this “study” is.
Detroit houses are now for sale on ebay in the .99¢ “buy it now” section.
That’s too expensive.
Detroit? Nothing healthy about getting shot from Dr. Thug.
what the hell is a Green Space Rank. I bet those places also have a high Safe Space Rank too.
Possibly the dumbest survey ever published.
Well Detroit and Memphis are near totally populated with dope smoking /Viggers, and Laredo and Brownsville are populated by fat illegal Mexicans, really would you expect anything different from dead last.
The air in Detroit contains a very large amount of heavy metals. Specifically lead and copper in large chunks traveling anywhere from 900 ft./s to about 3000 ft./s. Combine that with broken crack pipes and dirty needles that litter the ground, it sure impacts the health of a city.
Oakland at #30. The whole thing is a false wash.
Corruption from top down is why these once great cities fail. Drain the monkey swamp.
Dear Detroit: Call Chelsea. She wrote a book “Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why?”. Of course a news report says she does not answer the question in the book, so you just know she is looking for a consulting gig (fees paid in advance, If I know the Clintons), and she is a Democrat. You can thank me later.
The criteria look very flawed to me: I don’t believe that the number of health clubs or number of weight loss centers correlates to overall health. In fact it could indicate the opposite; there’s a greater need for such amenities where physical fitness or weight is unhealthy. Norway might not have as many health clubs or weigh loss centers as a typical US city, but that wouldn’t make it a less healthy place to live. I think the fact that SF comes out on top by itself is an indication of errors in the studies’ premises. The criteria used over weight a consumptive society that purchases health indicators, and under values health in those communities where, say, outdoor activities that aren’t purchased aren’t counted. If every single person in a community hiked in the mountains every day, this study would weight them as being unhealthy if they don’t have a lot of fitness clubs or weight loss centers. Fail.