For the ninth consecutive year, Arlington, Virginia, has been ranked as America’s fittest city, according to the 2026 American Fitness Index, released Tuesday by the American College of Sports Medicine.
D.C. has held the No. 2 spot since 2023 in the fitness rankings of America’s 100 largest cities.
“The things that make places like Arlington, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver the top five is accessibility” to parks and trails where residents can exercise, said Dr. Stella Volpe, past president of the American College of Sports Medicine and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board.
The 19th annual report shows the nation’s fittest cities combine lower obesity and chronic disease rates with higher physical activity.
“Even when it comes to public transportation, it’s easy for you all (in Arlington and D.C.) to walk to public transportation or walk to get coffee or walk to lunch,” Volpe said. “That ability to have places close by makes it really, really nice.”
Asked if Arlington County’s financial resources played a role in its consistency atop the list of fittest cities, Volpe said the county has the ability to prioritize recreation.
“There could be small things that cities that don’t have enough resources do 鈥� for example, cleaning up some parks and maybe having that be a community event,” Volpe said. “Putting some lighting or paving a trail that hasn’t been paved in a long time, those kind of things that may seem small could make a big difference.”
According to the index, lower-ranked cities continue to show clustering of chronic disease indicators, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
In the past year, “food insecurity has increased in 99 of the 100 cities that we assessed,” Volpe said.
“The fitness index provides us more than just a ranking of cities; it gives communities the data they need to identify where gaps exist and which indicators have the greatest impact on long-term health,” said Dr. Shantanu Agrawal, chief health officer at Elevance Health.
According to Volpe, the cities that consistently rank at the top aren’t succeeding because of one program or investment. She said they create environments where physical activity can easily become part of everyday routines.
“Increasing physical activity decreases our risk of chronic diseases of all types 鈥� it doesn’t mean we’ll never get a disease, but it decreases our risk greatly,” Volpe said. “Physical activity and exercise is the best medicine.”
To see the full American Fitness Index 2026 rankings, go to the .
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