Arlington Tops U.S. Fitness Index for 9th Straight Year as Food Insecurity Rises to 14.4%
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 14
Arlington Tops U.S. Fitness Index for 9th Straight Year as Food Insecurity Rises to 14.4%
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 14
Summary
Arlington, Virginia, held the No. 1 spot in the 2026 ACSM American Fitness Index for a ninth consecutive year, ahead of Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Seattle and Denver.
100 large U.S. cities were scored on personal health and community factors such as exercise rates, obesity, chronic disease, parks, trails, transit access and environmental conditions, with Oklahoma City ranking last.
14.4% was the average food insecurity rate in 2026, up from 12.9% a year earlier, and every major city except Santa Ana reported worsening access to adequate food.
SNAP cuts and stricter work rules under Trump's 2025 tax-and-spending law were cited as added pressure on low-income families already facing higher grocery prices.
Richmond posted the biggest climb, up 20 places to No. 20, while the report also flagged air quality and asthma—Greensboro's 15.4% asthma rate was the highest—as barriers to staying active.