Healthiest Cities in America

The healthiest city dwellers in America live in San Jose, Calif., according to a new study released by Bert Sperling's BestPlaces and multivitamin-maker Centrum. The Centrum Healthiest Cities Study is the first-ever comprehensive "health report card" of the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. that’s based on key factors including health status, nutrition and exercise, plus mental health and life balance, which contribute to overall well-being.

According to the report card, in the nationwide battle for healthiest cities, the West easily trumps the East. California boasts five cities in the top 10: San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and the Orange County area. Read more about these top cities and others that made the list.

1)  San Jose, Calif.

San Jose tops our ranking of America’s healthiest cities, thanks to outstanding scores in the major categories of health status, lifestyle choices and diet. In the separate categories, residents of San Jose reported the study’s best scores in mental wellness, rate of cigarette smoking and consumption of fruits and vegetables. In one of the few negative areas, residents here did report one of the study’s highest rates of asthma.

2) Washington, D.C.

One of the big surprises was the second-place ranking of Washington, D.C. It scored well in all five major categories, including the top score in mental wellness. Washingtonians reported feeling well physically, mentally and emotionally and had high scores in dental care and BMI (or body mass index). However, Washington did record higher than average incidences of diabetes and hypertension.

3)  San Francisco

Like its neighbor San Jose to the south, San Francisco showed strong scores in all major categories except mental wellness. Its residents had the study’s highest scores in BMI and dental care, plus a strong showing in the physical activity category. San Franciscans reported problems with sleeping and stress, and had the study’s highest rate of diabetes. San Francisco also had the study’s highest number of physicians per capita.