The Top 10 Healthiest Cities in the US – 2015

Is this the year a Texas city finally makes the list?

I’m afraid not. At least not according to a recent article by Livability. In the article, the top ten healthiest cities were identified by the following criteria. First, access, quality, and affordability of healthcare, and the second includes ways the city promotes a healthy lifestyle.

To rank quality and affordability of care, they looked at spending data from Esri. Esri is a geographic information system software to help visualize data and make decisions from said data. Ratios of doctors to residents, number of hospitals, access to healthy food options and obesity rates all play a role in determining the first statistic.

Second, the community’s promotion of a healthy lifestyle was identified by access to parks and farmers markets and other forms of infrastructure to promote healthy living. Do people walk or bike to work, and is this even a possibility? Are there natural or man-made amenities promoting healthy activities like golf courses or nature preserves? Environmental data including water and air quality also played a role in the final figures.

Lastly, the results were mixed by size, geography, and other considerations. The results from the article may surprise you.

10. Yonkers, NY
 9. Fort Collins, CO
 8. Honolulu, HI
 7. Santa Ana, CA
 6. Arlington, VA
 5. Bridgeport, CT
 4. Miami, FL
 3. Madison, WI
 2. Cambridge, MA
 1. Minneapolis, MN

What do you think about the list? If I had to choose one, Honolulu Hawaii is the can’t miss opportunity in my book. Where would you go?