Not so pumped up
San Antonio lags far behind in this new ranking of healthiest U.S. cities
While one Texas city is running away with a healthy accolade, San Antonio is lagging far behind.
A study released February 10 by personal finance website WalletHub puts Austin in 11th place among the country’s healthiest cities and first place in Texas. San Antonio, meanwhile, creeps over the finish line in 103rd place.
To determine which regions prioritize residents’ well-being, WalletHub compared 174 of the most populated U.S. cities across 43 key indicators of good health. The data ranges from cost of medical visits to fruit and vegetable consumption to fitness clubs per capita.
The Alamo City ranks poorly across the board, with its worst outcome in the fitness category (No. 107) and its best in the food category (No. 71). The city ranks 91st for green space and 97th for healthcare, according to the study.
Nearby Austin, on the other hand, ranks high for green space (No. 13), fitness (No. 15), and food (No. 16). Its poorest showing is the No. 40 spot for healthcare. Despite this, the City of Austin says, “Austin is a relatively healthy city."
Ranking above Austin in the WalletHub study are: San Francisco (No. 1); Seattle (No. 2); San Diego (No. 3); Portland, Oregon (No. 4); Washington, D.C. (No. 5); New York City (No. 6); Denver (No. 7); Irvine, California (No. 8); Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 9); and Chicago (No. 10).
As for the rest of state, there are improvements to be made in Texas' big cities:
- Plano, No. 40. Among all of the cities, Plano ranks fifth for low cost of medical visits.
- Houston, No. 82. Among all of the cities, Houston ranks 173rd for mental health counselors per capita.
- Dallas, No. 92.
- Fort Worth, No. 117.
- Arlington, No. 135.
- Irving, No. 136.
- Grand Prairie, No. 137.
- Garland, No. 141.
The Rio Grande Valley city of Brownsville ranked last, at No. 174.
