Denver Cracks the Top 5 on America’s Fittest Cities List — And Yeah, We’re Not Surprised

Look, if you’ve ever tried to keep up with a Denverite on a trail run, you already know. But now it’s official. The Mile High City has climbed its way to No. 5 on the latest list of the fittest cities in America — and we’ve got the receipts.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), in partnership with the Elevance Health Foundation, released the 2026 American Fitness Index, ranking the 100 largest U.S. cities using 35 indicators across personal health, community infrastructure and environmental conditions. Think of it as a full physical for your city — except instead of stepping on a scale, they’re measuring everything from how often you’re hitting the gym to whether your neighborhood has decent park access.

So, How Do They Actually Rank These Cities?

Good question. It’s not just about who’s got the most CrossFit boxes per block (looking at you, Denver). All 100 cities were measured on factors like access to parks, recreation facilities, bike lanes and public spaces, as well as personal health data including smoking rates, mental health, physical activity and diet.

This year’s report shows a widening gap between cities that prioritize movement and those where residents have fewer opportunities to walk, bike and exercise — and increasingly face higher rates of obesity, chronic disease and food insecurity.

The report revealed that the fittest cities consistently combine lower obesity and chronic disease rates with more physical activity, broad access to parks and recreation infrastructure, and stronger active transportation.

Basically, if your city makes it easy and affordable to get up and move, your score goes up. Simple enough, right?

The Big Picture: America Is (Mostly) Getting Fitter

Before we get to the fun part, here’s some context. According to ACSM, there was a significant increase in Americans’ aerobic and strength activity across the different cities between 2024 and 2025. In 2025, an average of 59.9% of city residents met aerobic activity guidelines, up from 50.9% in 2024.

Smoking declined in 73 cities, and two-thirds of cities boosted their per-person parks funding. So, progress.

But it’s not all good news. More people reported food insecurity in 2025 compared to 2024. In 2024, 10.4% of people reported food insecurity, which increased to 12.9% in 2025. Something city leaders probably shouldn’t ignore.

The 2026 Top 10 Fittest Cities in America

Here’s the full list, because you came here for the rankings:

No. 10 — Boston, MA

Boston climbed from No. 13 to No. 10 this year, earning its spot in the top 10 for the first time in recent memory. Not bad for a city that also has to survive New England winters and a seriously aggressive sports fan base.

No. 9 — Madison, WI

Don’t let the Midwest fool you. Madison, Minneapolis and St. Paul prove cold weather isn’t a deal-breaker. Extensive trail systems and city-university partnerships keep active-commute rates high even in winter.

No. 8 — Atlanta, GA

The city performs well in regard to its citizens’ health behaviors, with a high percentage of residents exercising in the last month. The city also ranks highly for its percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walking distance to a park. Atlanta’s BeltLine deserves a lot of that credit — it’s turned the city into a walkability success story.

No. 7 — Irvine, CA

Irvine returned to the top 10 after moving from No. 12 to No. 7. About 79% of Irvine’s residents have exercised in the previous month, and 57.2% have met the guidelines set for aerobic activity by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Orange County is clearly doing something right.

No. 6 — San Francisco, CA

San Francisco continues its streak as one of the healthiest cities in the country. San Francisco’s Walk Score of 88 tops the country. When your city is basically built for walkers and cyclists, it tends to pay off in the health department.

No. 5 — Denver, CO 🏔️ That’s Us!

Denver ranked 5th in the U.S. in the 18th annual ACSM American Fitness Index. Denver moved up two spots from its 2024 ranking, which ACSM says it compiles to measure progress and encourage city officials to make policy decisions.

Denver rounds out the top five, ranking highly across both personal health and community conditions. The city continues to benefit from strong exercise participation, access to recreation and infrastructure that helps residents incorporate movement into their daily routines.

The Mile High City scores well for the personal health of its residents, with obesity and diabetes rates that are well below the 100-city average. And honestly, with the Rockies basically in the backyard, what’s your excuse not to get outside?

Worth noting: Poor air quality, a persistent concern in Denver, stemmed from drought and wildfires — major and consistent threats in Colorado. Meanwhile, smoking rates have dropped, while funding for parks spiked — both positive health indicators. So we’re working on it.

Also, Denver isn’t the only Colorado city making the list. Three Colorado cities made the rankings with Denver coming in at No. 5. Aurora was ranked at No. 27 and Colorado Springs at No. 37. Colorado’s out here collecting rankings like trail stamps.

No. 4 — Seattle, WA

Seattle continues to rank among the healthiest major U.S. cities, placing second in personal health. Its residents benefit from high physical activity levels and an environment that supports walking, biking, recreation and outdoor living. All that rain apparently doesn’t stop anyone.

No. 3 — Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis is a perennial powerhouse on this list. Minneapolis is the index’s highest-ranked city for Bike Score, which measures whether a location is good for biking based on its bike infrastructure, geography and share of bicyclists. It also ranks highly for having parks within a 10-minute walk and for having a high percentage of residents who have exercised in the previous month.

No. 2 — Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., which ranked best at eating fruits and vegetables, also ranked in the top five cities that “exercised in the previous month, used public transportation and biked or walked to work.” Say what you want about the politics — at least they’re eating their vegetables.

No. 1 — Arlington, VA (For the Ninth Year in a Row)

At this point, Arlington might as well just keep the trophy. Arlington, Virginia, is still the fittest city in America, taking the top spot in the ACSM American Fitness Index for the ninth year in a row.

Arlington remains the country’s fittest city for the ninth consecutive year. It ranked first for personal health and continued to perform strongly across physical activity, park access and transportation infrastructure. The Virginia city also reported good air quality on 84.4% of days, one of the highest rates among the cities studied.

As ACSM’s Stella Volpe put it: “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise. They make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation and community design.”

Bottom Line

Denver sitting at No. 5 on the fittest cities list is great news — and honestly, no surprise to anyone who’s ever tried to find a parking spot at Washington Park on a Sunday morning. The ranking is a reflection of what happens when a city invests in parks, trails and the kind of outdoor culture that makes staying active feel less like a chore and more like just… living here.

The full rankings for all 100 cities are available at the ACSM American Fitness Index website