Nurse wearing American flag mask during coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic
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Unhealthiest cities in America: Southern states dominate the list, according to experts

April 3, 202316 comments
by Chris Melore

WASHINGTON — Where you live can play a big role in how healthy you are. While some cities invest heavily to make sure the public doesn’t get sick, that’s not the case everywhere in the United States. A new study finds many U.S. cities are falling behind when it comes to health and wellness — especially those in the southern part of the nation.

The WalletHub study of the country’s 182 most populated cities finds Brownsville, Texas ranks as the unhealthiest city in America. Across 43 key metrics, including the cost of a medical visit and the amount of fruits and vegetables people eat, the city of roughly 186,000 people along the U.S.-Mexico border sits at the bottom of the study’s “Food” and “Fitness” scores. Brownsville also ranks 172nd in terms of “Green Space” and 169th for “Health Care.”

Rounding out the “top five” of the nation’s unhealthiest places to live are Gulfport, Mississippi (181st), Shreveport, Louisiana (180th), and Columbus (179th) and Augusta, Georgia (178th). Overall, Columbus, Georgia ranks as the city with the worst Health Care score in the nation. This score accounts for several factors including each city’s rate of premature death, mental health, the cost of medical care, and the number of residents with insurance.

While you might think of a big city like New York or Los Angeles as having little green space, it turns out that Montgomery, Alabama ranks last in this category. According to the WalletHub team, Montgomery (177th overall) ranks last in terms of their quality of parks, hiking trails per capita, access to recreation, and the city’s overall “greenness.”

Your medical bills are going up in 2023

The WalletHub team also notes that the average employer-provided healthcare plan will cost approximately 5.6 percent more in 2023. With that in mind, the study finds that people living in Alaska will end up paying the most at the doctor’s office. Juneau and Anchorage tied for the highest cost of a medical visit in the nation. Going to the doctor in Wisconsin will also hurt your wallet, costing the most in Madison (180th) and Milwaukee (178th).

Interestingly, going to the doctor in Brownsville, Texas is the second-cheapest bill you’ll find.

Hospital medical care bill
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Americans are dying young on the East Cost

If you’re looking to enjoy a happy and long life, you may want to stay out of Baltimore, Maryland. The Charm City has the worst premature death rate in the United States. Baltimore tied with two cities from neighboring West Virginia, Huntington and Charleston. St. Louis, Missouri and Augusta, Georgia also finished at the bottom of this concerning list.

“For those with specific medical conditions, it is important to consider whether you can easily access the medical care you need. For more general health concerns, one of the most important things to look for is whether the city allows getting outside and exercising. Are there green spaces, parks, and/or safe streets with sidewalks? Also, health is as much about mental and emotional well-being as it is about physical well-being, so it is also important to reflect on whether this is a city where you can feel at home. Is it close to friends and family who enhance your life? Is it the kind of place where you can readily incorporate your passions and preferences (or hobbies) into your daily life?” says Amy McGuire, JD, Ph.D., of Baylor College of Medicine, in a statement.

Where is fitness and nutrition hard to find?

If you’re starting a new diet and looking for the “healthiest” places to eat in town, you may want to stay out of Grand Prairie, Texas. The city ranks last in terms of the number of “healthy” restaurants per capita. Also making the list with few fresh and nutritious eateries are Aurora, Illinois (176th), North Las Vegas, Nevada (175th), Rapid City, South Dakota (174th), and Hialeah, Florida (173rd). Additionally, Hialeah also ranks last on the list of the most physically inactive adults in the U.S.

For those looking to work out, Alaskans may want to just go outside for a wallet-friendly jog. The price of a fitness club membership is the highest in Juneau, even beating out New York City! Alaskans in Anchorage also made the list of the priciest gym memberships in 2023.

Unhealthiest Places to Live in the U.S.

Overall Rank  City Total Score  Health Care  Food  Fitness  Green Space 
182 Brownsville, TX 25.72 169 182 182 172
181 Gulfport, MS 28.19 166 179 174 177
180 Shreveport, LA 28.31 170 181 179 163
179 Columbus, GA 29.05 182 175 170 171
178 Augusta, GA 30.20 167 167 175 181
177 Montgomery, AL 30.51 161 180 142 182
176 Memphis, TN 31.39 179 173 146 168
175 Fayetteville, NC 31.57 125 176 168 176
174 Laredo, TX 31.62 152 178 181 130
173 Corpus Christi, TX 32.60 180 161 159 158
172 Detroit, MI 32.97 181 125 176 154
171 Fort Smith, AR 32.98 160 162 177 165
170 North Las Vegas, NV 33.12 178 164 180 106
169 Charleston, WV 33.20 141 158 160 180
168 Huntington, WV 33.29 173 138 178 153
167 Amarillo, TX 33.75 177 163 161 141
166 Winston-Salem, NC 34.54 100 172 116 178
165 Toledo, OH 34.56 176 152 165 120
164 Jackson, MS 35.18 117 154 153 175
163 Baton Rouge, LA 35.36 162 174 133 128
162 Garland, TX 35.95 155 146 167 118
161 Las Cruces, NM 36.05 77 177 169 129
160 Fort Wayne, IN 36.16 156 135 92 179
159 Fontana, CA 36.23 146 143 163 127
158 Wichita, KS 36.72 149 165 77 164
157 Lubbock, TX 37.12 171 170 83 148
156 Mobile, AL 37.36 163 142 99 174
155 Grand Prairie, TX 37.49 128 153 173 53
154 Greensboro, NC 37.51 93 150 90 173
153 Newark, NJ 37.63 175 75 162 134
152 Moreno Valley, CA 37.69 142 127 171 105
151 Arlington, TX 37.96 110 151 127 147
150 Irving, TX 38.11 153 137 107 145
149 Chattanooga, TN 38.22 128 168 130 77
148 Hialeah, FL 38.40 107 69 172 159
147 San Bernardino, CA 38.54 174 111 166 70
146 Bakersfield, CA 38.56 168 126 144 100
145 Port St. Lucie, FL 38.64 135 124 122 170
144 Norfolk, VA 38.85 44 128 154 155
143 Little Rock, AR 38.87 148 144 93 162
142 Oklahoma City, OK 38.91 75 139 132 151
141 Tallahassee, FL 38.98 120 171 91 117
140 Ontario, CA 39.02 154 136 151 57
139 El Paso, TX 39.02 145 116 158 91
138 Lewiston, ME 39.07 90 134 164 135
137 Huntsville, AL 39.27 102 160 103 167
136 Tulsa, OK 39.38 140 157 72 132
135 Akron, OH 39.46 127 130 150 81
134 Casper, WY 39.64 151 155 148 71
133 Dover, DE 39.71 97 166 121 166
132 Newport News, VA 40.02 80 147 149 85
131 Cape Coral, FL 40.16 119 140 108 150
130 Columbia, SC 40.33 84 141 98 169
129 Nashville, TN 40.41 121 83 136 146
128 Fresno, CA 40.43 144 85 139 125
127 Stockton, CA 40.53 172 94 138 83
126 Birmingham, AL 40.66 124 159 69 112
125 Knoxville, TN 40.81 165 117 81 142
124 Henderson, NV 41.21 138 149 137 62
123 Des Moines, IA 41.30 65 131 118 140
122 Nampa, ID 41.40 158 133 64 138
121 Springfield, MO 41.65 164 156 55 86
120 Indianapolis, IN 41.76 101 101 86 152
119 Kansas City, MO 41.98 95 114 128 96
118 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 42.02 109 145 80 111
117 Fort Worth, TX 42.04 104 119 60 143
116 Cheyenne, WY 42.33 64 169 117 144
115 Columbus, OH 42.36 103 82 125 123
114 Glendale, AZ 42.75 133 115 57 107
113 Modesto, CA 43.23 150 105 106 66
112 Anchorage, AK 43.27 143 97 152 40
111 Mesa, AZ 43.34 113 92 45 139
110 Santa Ana, CA 43.43 136 55 124 95
109 New Orleans, LA 43.44 157 123 102 49
108 New Haven, CT 43.44 79 113 157 33
107 Chesapeake, VA 43.52 15 132 115 110
106 Peoria, AZ 43.53 88 129 78 101
105 Cleveland, OH 43.76 134 46 131 94
104 Rapid City, SD 44.02 18 100 156 90
103 Dallas, TX 44.09 137 64 76 113
102 Warwick, RI 44.18 27 104 114 160
101 Lexington-Fayette, KY 44.30 63 86 110 122
100 Chula Vista, CA 44.59 46 90 95 133
99 San Antonio, TX 44.76 139 102 56 76
98 Durham, NC 44.87 29 61 85 157
97 Cedar Rapids, IA 44.93 20 148 59 136
96 Aurora, IL 44.97 66 109 141 20
95 Salem, OR 45.01 85 78 113 89
94 Houston, TX 45.24 122 53 65 116
93 Jacksonville, FL 45.25 147 80 61 79
92 Gilbert, AZ 45.27 62 103 5 161
91 Spokane, WA 45.45 112 84 58 102
90 Worcester, MA 45.49 24 106 112 99
89 Fargo, ND 45.52 41 108 101 115
88 Milwaukee, WI 45.59 98 77 123 63
87 Manchester, NH 45.62 73 122 43 114
86 Nashua, NH 45.73 58 107 38 156
85 Tucson, AZ 45.77 130 47 111 68
84 Oxnard, CA 45.81 81 63 140 46
83 Riverside, CA 46.23 131 51 48 98
82 Omaha, NE 46.34 26 112 46 109
81 Chandler, AZ 46.41 70 99 3 137
80 Louisville, KY 46.44 91 58 70 93
79 Charleston, SC 46.57 31 110 62 131
78 Jersey City, NJ 46.82 87 35 134 78
77 Reno, NV 47.21 126 91 54 48
76 Baltimore, MD 47.30 132 27 105 82
75 Tacoma, WA 47.40 116 44 52 119
74 Bridgeport, CT 47.82 35 121 129 7
73 Colorado Springs, CO 47.92 89 72 37 75
72 Bismarck, ND 47.94 57 89 42 149
71 Aurora, CO 48.04 50 68 23 108
70 Charlotte, NC 48.18 55 43 34 126
69 Wilmington, DE 48.19 94 79 73 37
68 West Valley City, UT 48.30 108 42 109 47
67 Pearl City, HI 48.49 13 88 119 73
66 Richmond, VA 48.75 72 66 17 104
65 Juneau, AK 49.13 105 52 155 12
64 Providence, RI 49.30 47 76 94 34
63 Anaheim, CA 49.36 76 41 75 65
62 Garden Grove, CA 49.44 83 45 143 4
61 Santa Clarita, CA 49.63 42 71 84 36
60 Buffalo, NY 49.67 59 38 88 67
59 Pembroke Pines, FL 49.81 49 96 40 32
58 Vancouver, WA 49.84 68 87 12 80
57 St. Petersburg, FL 49.90 71 62 32 59
56 Billings, MT 49.95 37 73 30 124
55 Boise, ID 50.12 28 95 29 58
54 Virginia Beach, VA 50.12 6 81 33 97
53 Santa Rosa, CA 50.19 67 54 47 61
52 Yonkers, NY 50.21 19 32 147 39
51 Sioux Falls, SD 50.24 12 74 50 103
50 Albuquerque, NM 50.24 114 67 97 13
49 Lincoln, NE 50.40 10 118 13 74
48 Long Beach, CA 50.44 86 33 79 56
47 Rochester, NY 50.49 69 31 120 26
46 Philadelphia, PA 50.51 111 20 87 54
45 Phoenix, AZ 50.71 96 30 67 51
44 St. Paul, MN 50.87 56 57 63 42
43 Plano, TX 50.90 23 93 9 69
42 Fort Lauderdale, FL 51.70 52 49 44 44
41 Oceanside, CA 51.88 48 65 11 87
40 St. Louis, MO 51.95 123 39 14 45
39 Tempe, AZ 52.26 78 70 10 31
38 Tampa, FL 52.30 99 26 19 64
37 Cincinnati, OH 52.35 118 56 15 24
36 Missoula, MT 52.42 17 120 36 25
35 Grand Rapids, MI 52.52 38 48 28 60
34 Miami, FL 52.55 60 10 100 72
33 Sacramento, CA 52.61 106 17 96 30
32 Overland Park, KS 52.82 2 98 21 92
31 Raleigh, NC 53.34 9 36 2 121
30 Las Vegas, NV 53.46 159 24 20 23
29 Columbia, MD 53.57 1 60 51 88
28 Glendale, CA 53.81 61 50 24 11
27 Pittsburgh, PA 53.95 33 25 41 50
26 Chicago, IL 54.33 92 12 66 35
25 Orlando, FL 54.59 82 15 27 43
24 Los Angeles, CA 55.54 115 4 89 21
23 South Burlington, VT 55.57 3 15 135 84
22 San Jose, CA 55.62 25 19 104 16
21 Oakland, CA 55.84 53 7 82 38
20 Burlington, VT 55.85 5 34 39 55
19 Fremont, CA 56.14 8 28 16 52
18 Madison, WI 56.20 22 29 22 29
17 Huntington Beach, CA 56.29 39 40 4 28
16 New York, NY 56.33 54 3 145 18
15 Portland, ME 56.38 4 23 126 10
14 Austin, TX 56.49 40 21 31 22
13 Atlanta, GA 57.11 74 18 7 27
12 Scottsdale, AZ 57.22 36 59 1 19
11 Boston, MA 57.39 7 11 68 41
10 Irvine, CA 57.63 14 37 18 14
9 Denver, CO 58.42 34 13 25 17
8 Minneapolis, MN 58.51 21 22 49 8
7 Washington, DC 59.78 32 9 35 15
6 Portland, OR 61.09 16 6 71 6
5 Salt Lake City, UT 61.86 45 14 6 3
4 San Diego, CA 61.94 43 5 26 5
3 Honolulu, HI 62.23 51 8 74 2
2 Seattle, WA 65.22 11 2 8 9
1 San Francisco, CA 67.07 30 1 53 1

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

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