Here's why Pittsburgh ranks among America's fittest cities in 2026

The annual American Fitness Index ranks Pittsburgh among the top 25 fittest cities in the country based on factors like residents' health and city infrastructure supporting an active lifestyle.

The index, published July 14 by American College of Sports Medicine and Elevance Health Foundation, ranks the nation's 100 most populous cities on fitness, personal health and community/environmental health.

Those living in cities with high scores had lower rates of obesity and chronic diseases, higher levels of physical activity and better access to walking and biking trails, public parks and public transportation, while the opposite was true of those living in cities that scored low.

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Here's how Pittsburgh ranked.

Where Pittsburgh ranks among America's fittest cities?

When scored with America's top fittest cities, Pittsburgh ranked overall at No. 22.5, a downtrend from the previous year and tying it with Sacramento.

The Steel City's personal health ranking put it at No. 62, while its community/environment health ranking scored it at No. 4.

At the other end of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia came in at No. 54 overall. The city had an personal health rank of No. 84 and a community/environment rank of No. 10.

How healthy is Pittsburgh?

Overall, 39.9% of Pittsburgh residents were in excellent or very good health.

40.4% of residents had poor physical health the prior month, while 52.6% had poor mental health the previous month.

Here's a breakdown of the percentage of residents with certain health conditions:

• Percentage of residents with obesity: 32.0%
• Percentage of residents with asthma: 10.8%
• Percentage of residents with high blood pressure: 32.8%
• Percentage of residents with angina or coronary heart disease: 3.2%
• Percentage of residents with stroke: 2.6%
• Percentage of residents with diabetes: 11.1%

How much does Pittsburgh exercise?

A large chunk of Pittsburgh's residents exercise, according to the report, which said that 79.2% exercised in the past month. However, only 52.1% met aerobic activity guidelines, while an even smaller percentage — 22.3% — met both aerobic and strength activity guidelines.

About 10.6% of Pittsburgh residents rode bicycles or walk to work, while 13.8% used public transportation to get to their jobs.

Is Pittsburgh's community and environment healthy?

Pittsburgh ranked at No. 4 for its community/environment health.

Here's a breakdown of factors influencing the health of Pittsburgh's community:

• Percentage of days with good air quality: 47.8%
• Percentage of residents dealing with food insecurity: 12.9%
• Percentage of the city taken up by parks: 12.6%
• Percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk to a park: 94.0%
• Number of pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents: 2.3

The city also has one complete streets policy, which works toward creating a road network designed for everyone and improving pedestrian safety.

Does Pittsburgh have healthy habits?

The report also examined the percentage of Pittsburgh residents who engage in habits like consuming healthy foods, getting enough rest and not smoking. This is the breakdown of what researchers found:

• Percentage of Pittsburgh residents who consume two or more fruits per day: 27.4%
• Percentage of Pittsburgh residents who consume three or more vegetables per day: 12.7%
• Percetnage of Pittsburgh residents who get seven or more hours of sleep per night: 65.5%
• Percentage of Pittsburgh residents who smoke: 9.6%

How many recreational facilities does Pittsburgh have? How well are they funded?

Pittsburgh spends about $184 on parks per resident. Here's a look at how many facilities there are throughout the city:

• Outdoor athletic fields per 10,000 residents: 2.8
• Basketball hoops per 10,000 residents: 7.3
• Playgrounds per 10,000 residnts: 3.9
• Recreational centers per 20,000 residents: 1.8
• Splash pads per 100,000 residents: 9.7
• Swimming pools pre 100,000 residents: 7.8
• Tennis/pickleball courts per 20,000 residents: 5.4

Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at [email protected]. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's why Pittsburgh ranks among America's fittest cities in 2026