Ranked: The Healthiest And Unhealthiest Cities In America In 2021 (health insurance, unemployment rate)
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Want to find the healthiest places to live in America? Or perhaps you want to avoid the unhealthiest places in America? An annual list of the healthiest and unhealthiest cities has been released, and the 2021 report also shows how people are faring in the US today and where they can find the best opportunities relative to where they live.
According to an analyst, the report was also inspired by the sobering statistics when it comes to people in America. “With this in mind, we wanted to identify the most health-friendly cities. We did that by looking at economic and social factors, as well as healthcare."
The cities were compared across key indicators of living standards, using data like median earnings for workers, preventive health care, death rate and more.
This year, San Jose topped the list as the healthiest city in America. "There are several factors that contributed to San Jose being at the top of the list, including one of the lowest unemployment rates, high job security, and the low share of people living in poverty.”
In addition, more than 90% of people in San Jose were able to afford a doctor visit in the past year. The city has an almost 91% high school graduation rate, among the highest in the country. But San Jose's strongest suite is healthcare. “It has high quality hospitals, more than 85% of people have a personal doctor and the uninsured rate is the smallest nationwide.” “Most people report being in good health, and the city tops all the others in terms of preventive healthcare. San Jose also has some of the lowest obesity, death rates, as well as high life expectancy."
Memphis sat at the bottom of the list. An analyst says that the biggest factors holding Memphis at the bottom of the list include the unemployment rate, the large share of people living in poverty and the low high school graduation rate.
In addition, Memphis's share of it's population with good health is one of the lowest in the country, as is the percentage of physically active people. “As a direct consequence, the city has a large share of people who are obese, as well as low life expectancy.”
Top 10 Healthiest Cities in America
1. San Jose, CA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Miami, FL
4. Washington DC
5. San Diego, CA
6. Los Angeles, CA
7. Seattle, WA
8. Austin, TX
9. New York, NY
10. Raleigh, NC
Top 10 Unhealthiest Cities in America (1 Being the Worst)
1. Memphis, TN
2. Birmingham, AL
3. Louisville, KY
4. Oklahoma City, OK
5. Cincinnati, OH
6. Indianapolis, IN
7. New Orleans, LA
8. Nashville, TN
9. St. Louis, MO
10. Detroit, MI
So, how many days of healthy life would John Q. Doe add to his life, by moving from Memphis to San Jose? Or, would the typical Memphian drag down the San Jose chances by boarding a bus west with all his baggagge???
Do San Josenos actually do something to make their city healthier, or is there some kind of a magic fountain there?
So, how many days of healthy life would John Q. Doe add to his life, by moving from Memphis to San Jose? Or, would the typical Memphian drag down the San Jose chances by boarding a bus west with all his baggagge???
Do San Josenos actually do something to make their city healthier, or is there some kind of a magic fountain there?
Be careful how tyou read click bait.
Yes? They, on average, eat healthier food and exercise more. I'm confused by the question. It's not random but any means.
Great to see some southern metros make the top 10. Not surprised by Austin being one of those southern metros. People often talk about how Austin is so much different from the rest of the state, but they seldom mention being fit and healthy as one of those differences. Not to cast shade on the other Texas metros because they each have a segment of their population that is into the fit/healthy lifestyle, but it permeates the entire city in Austin.
Great to see some southern metros make the top 10. Not surprised by Austin being one of those southern metros. People often talk about how Austin is so much different from the rest of the state, but they seldom mention being fit and healthy as one of those differences. Not to cast shade on the other Texas metros because they each have a segment of their population that is into the fit/healthy lifestyle, but it permeates the entire city in Austin.
I think more than anything this is a proxy for education levels and affluence, and Austin ranks among the highest cities nationally in these areas..
Really I'd say that Miami is the biggest outlier. But it makes sense that you need to maintain the beach body there!
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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Not sure why you would consider Miami an outlier….it’s at or near the top of most lists ranking cities with the best looking people. The population—not all, mind you—does not get that way by only eating pork and beans, not exercising nor not getting enough Vitamin D from the sun…but, yeah, the beach (and getting a beach body) helps to counter the effects of heavy partying at night!
Quote:
Originally Posted by whereiend
I think more than anything this is a proxy for education levels and affluence, and Austin ranks among the highest cities nationally in these areas..
Really I'd say that Miami is the biggest outlier. But it makes sense that you need to maintain the beach body there!
Not sure why you would consider Miami an outlier….it’s at or near the top of most lists ranking cities with the best looking people. The population—not all, mind you—does not get that way by only eating pork and beans, not exercising nor not getting enough Vitamin D from the sun…but, yeah, the beach (and getting a beach body) helps to counter the effects of heavy partying at night!
I think they were referring more to education levels and affluence tying into being healthy, which can be true at times in Miami proper since it is pretty segregated in those regards and has it's levels dragged down because of that.
What I will say though is that the Miami metro actually ranked above the Los Angeles and Houston metros for High School + College educational attainment and ranked 10th out of the largest 150 metros for its quality of education and for having a low education attainment gap between races and genders combined into one ranking in WalletHub's newest Most & Least Educated Cities in America 2021 rankings, which is one of the final humps Miami is currently trying to get over. Just give it a few years and they'll see what's up.
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