PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Pat yourself on the back, Portland, or perhaps instead jog a victory lap and raise a glass of fresh-squeezed juice in celebration. A new study from WalletHub declared Portland the sixth healthiest city in America.
The personal finance website released its new report Monday ranking 2023’s Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America.
The company said location matters when it comes to health. Some places encourage wellness by expanding access to nutritious food and recreational facilities, others try to keep healthcare costs affordable for focus on keeping parks clean and well-maintained.
“When a city doesn’t take care of these many important issues, it can be hard to keep up good health. After all, the cost of care in the U.S. is rising, which is especially hard in the midst of high inflation,” WalletHub wrote in a news release.
After comparing several factors that affect the health of a city’s residents, WalletHub researchers found that Portland is doing a decent job at promoting wellness and an active lifestyle.
In its study, WalletHub compared more than 180 of the most populated cities in the U.S. The cities were compared across four key dimensions: health care, food, fitness, and green space.
Those dimensions were broken down into 43 relevant metrics, including things like mental health, physical health, family doctors per capita, dentists per capita, cost of medical visit, farmer’s markets per capita, share of obese residents, fitness and instruction centers per capita, parkland acres per capita, and hiking trails per capita, to name a few.
The cities received a score for each metric and the cities with the highest scores were determined to have the most favorable conditions for a healthy lifestyle.
Portland received a score of 61.09, resulting in its sixth place ranking. The city ranked particularly high in the food and green space dimensions.
Portland ranked first among all cities for its healthy restaurants per capita and seventh for its share of physically active adults.
WalletHub asked experts for tips on how to embrace a healthier lifestyle while on a budget.
“Eat fresh and healthy food,” said Dr. Yilu Lin, a research assistant professor in health policy and management at Tulane University. “There are always sales of healthy foods, such as fresh produce, lean proteins, and whole grains.”
She said the most important factor to consider in choosing a city that is good for a person’s health is the accessibility to health care resources and the availability of medical professionals.
Here are the healthiest places to live in the U.S., according to WalletHub.
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Honolulu, HI
- San Diego, CA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Portland, OR
- Washington, DC
- Minneapolis, MN
- Denver, CO
- Irvine, CA