RFK Jr. in Oklahoma as Gov. Stitt signs ‘Make Oklahoma Healthy Again’
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Provided by Office of Governor Kevin Stitt
Oklahoma City has been ranked the least healthy of America’s 100 largest cities in a recent survey.
The American College of Sports Medicine’s annual American Fitness Index ranks the nation’s 100 most populous cities on personal and community health indicators. This year’s report evaluated 35 indicators, including new categories like measuring trail miles, splash pads and tennis and pickleball courts.
While Arlington and the nation’s capital ranked in the top two spots, Arlington for the eighth year in a row, with Seattle, San Francisco and Denver rounding out the top five, Oklahoma City ranked the worst.
Sooner State capital was the lowest alongside Lubbock, Texas; North Las Vegas; Memphis, Tennessee; and Wichita, Kansas, at the nation’s five least healthy cities.
Here’s what put the city at the bottom and what this says about Oklahoma City’s environment.
Oklahoma City ranked least healthy large city
Out of the 100 most populous cities, Oklahoma City ranked 100th. This was compiled using 34 factors which either fall into the Personal Health category or the Community and Environment category.
Oklahoma City scored 99/100 for personal health, outpacing only Detroit, Michigan and then ranked 96th, beating some cities like Port St. Lucie, Florida; Fort Worth, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; and North Las Vegas.
ACSM President Stella Volpe said the report is an opportunity for cities that don’t rank well to study what higher-ranking peers do to improve their residents’ health outcomes.
Related: Health Secretary RFK Jr. visited Oklahoma this summer to kick off Make Oklahoma Healthy Again
“We hope cities that don’t fare as well may still be able to make some changes that help their citizens,” Volpe said. “Let’s just try to make our citizens as healthy as they can possibly be.”
While the index doesn’t show how Oklahoma City ranked in the individual categories, the capital city was joined by its northeast neighbor, Tulsa.
Tulsa, Oklahoma, had a bit of a different story than Oklahoma City. With a 98 personal health rank it sits just one spot higher than OKC, but the community is much more prepared for fitness.
Tulsa ranked 49th out of 100 for Community and Environment. This put it in company with Henderson, Nevada (48) and Jacksonville, Florida (50). One success ACSM found for Tulsa was that the number of splashpads per 100,000 residents was among the highest in the nation, 8.4.
With these two contrasting scores, Tulsa just outpaced the last 10 spots, but still ranked 90th out of the 100 cities on the list.
The board behind the index added the new category, alongside trails and tennis and pickleball courts, as assets for the community they’re in.
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“These new indicators reflect the importance of community assets that meet the evolving needs and demands of residents. Splashpads and pickleball courts expand physical activity opportunities across the lifespan and may be lower cost to build and operate than alternatives like swimming pools and additional courts,” the study reads.
What are the healthiest cities in America?
These are the 10 healthiest cities of the top 100 most populous cities, according to ACSM:
- Arlington, Virginia
- Washington, D.C.
- Seattle, Washington
- San Francisco, California
- Denver, Colorado
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Sacramento, California
- San Diego, California
What are the least healthy cities in the U.S.?
These are the 10 least healthy cities of the top 100 most populous cities, according to ACSM:
- Bakersfield, California
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Port St. Lucie, Florida
- San Antonio, Texas
- Detroit, Michigan
- Wichita, Kansas
- Memphis, Tennessee
- North Las Vegas, Nevada
- Lubbock, Texas
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
