A Texas border town is America’s coolest city, according to a new report.
McAllen, which sits on the southern border with Mexico, took first place with a score of 85.5 out of 100. Nearly half of its adults are obese, and the city of 144,000 also has high rates of heart disease and diabetes, which have long been associated with obesity.
Other cities that rounded out the top five were: Jackson, Mississippi; Shreveport, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Analysts at the financial site WalletHub measured several lifestyle factors, including activity levels, heart disease, diabetes and access to healthy foods, to determine which part of the country needs more investment in these areas.
The researchers then scored 100 cities based on the result and calculated an average number for comparison.
Scroll down to see the full list of 100 Coolest Cities
Researchers found that McAllen, Texas, was the most obese city in America
People in southern states were more likely to be obese because of high rates of chronic disease and lack of access to healthy food and recreational centers, researchers said
Additionally, southern states such as Louisiana and Mississippi rank highest in the number of weight loss prescriptions such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
They found that southern cities, which have historically had higher levels of obesity, were the most obese.
Seattle, meanwhile, had the lowest rates of obesity, which the researchers attributed to a highly active population with a low incidence of diabetes.
The findings come as the CDC predicts that more than 40 percent of Americans are obese, which the agency has called an “urgent priority.”
Lead analyst Cassandra Happe said: ‘Obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in the US and it is costing us dearly.
‘In the most overweight and obese cities, residents often lack easy access to healthy food and recreational opportunities, so investing in these areas should help improve people’s diets and exercise regimes and reduce the overall financial burden.’
WalletHub compared 100 of the most populous cities in the United States across three metrics: overweight and obesity, health impacts, and food and fitness.
The team then looked at the proportion of obese children, teenagers and adults in each area, as well as projected obesity rates in 2030.
The health consequences measured included high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
Researchers also assessed how many residents had access to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, as well as parks and recreational facilities.
The data was obtained from the CDC, US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, USDA and county health rankings, among others.
McAllen was the most obese with a score of 85.5. It was rated as the fourth worst city for obesity and overweight, second worst for health consequences and second worst for food and fitness.
The researchers found that 45 percent of adults in the city are obese, and another 31 percent are overweight. It also had the second highest proportion of obese teenagers and the second most obese children.
In addition, it had the fourth-highest incidence of people with diabetes and the third-highest for heart disease.
“One reason many people in McAllen are overweight is because they don’t exercise very much, as the city has the highest proportion of physically inactive adults,” the researchers wrote.
“It may not be entirely their fault, given that McAllen has the lowest percentage of residents who live close to parks or recreational facilities.”
Jackson, Mississippi, came in second as it had the highest rate of obesity among children ages 10 to 17, at nearly 24 percent.
The city of nearly 150,000 also had another 19 percent of youth who were overweight but not obese.
In addition, 5.5 percent of adults in the city have had a stroke.
“Factors contributing to the high obesity rate in Jackson include lower-than-average physical activity and limited access to healthy foods,” the researchers wrote.
“The problem is likely to remain for the foreseeable future as well, as Jackson has the second highest projected obesity rate for 2030.”
The map above shows obesity rates by US state in the year 2022, the latest data available from the CDC
Shreveport, Louisiana, which sits on the border east of Texas, was the third-most obese city, as about 36 percent of adults are obese and another 36 percent are obese.
Shreveport also had the second highest rate of adults with high cholesterol, at nearly 39 percent, and the most people with high blood pressure, at just over 40 percent.
The researchers said: Unhealthy diet is a major reason why many Shreveport residents are overweight and obese.’
‘The city has some of the lowest rates of adults eating fruit and vegetables at least once a day, and many residents lack easy access to healthy food. The residents are also largely physically inactive.’
Meanwhile, Seattle was the least obese city at just 58.33.
The team said the metro area’s 733,000 residents had the second-lowest rate of physically inactive adults, second only to Provo, Utah.
In addition, it ranked 98 out of 100 in terms of the percentage of diabetic adults.
| Overall rank | Metro area | Total score | Obesity and overweight rank | Health consequences Rank | Food and fitness rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McAllen, TX | 85.54 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | Jackson, MI | 84.58 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 3 | Shreveport, LA | 83,82 | 7 | 4 | 17 |
| 4 | Mobile, AL | 83.11 | 10 | 7 | 11 |
| 5 | Little Rock, AR | 82.31 | 5 | 24 | 7 |
| 6 | Knoxville, TN | 81.71 | 25 | 1 | 18 |
| 7 | Memphis, TN | 81.65 | 23 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Lafayette, LA | 81.64 | 8 | 25 | 15 |
| 9 | Baton Rouge, LA | 81.28 | 11 | 5 | 26 |
| 10 | Chattanooga, TN | 81.15 | 20 | 8 | 13 |
| 11 | Birmingham, AL | 81.02 | 18 | 12 | 3 |
| 12 | Columbia, SC | 80.06 | 21 | 16 | 10 |
| 13 | Oklahoma City, OK | 80.03 | 9 | 31 | 21 |
| 14 | Tulsa, okay | 79.64 | 6 | 22 | 36 |
| 15 | Fayetteville, AR | 79.34 | 14 | 26 | 28 |
| 16 | Augusta, GA | 79.31 | 31 | 13 | 6 |
| 17 | New Orleans, LA | 78.91 | 13 | 13 | 25 |
| 18 | Canton, OH | 78,78 | 39 | 10 | 23 |
| 19 | Wichita, KS | 78,39 | 37 | 17 | 12 |
| 20 | Youngstown, OH | 78.23 | 22 | 41 | 16 |
| 21 | San Antonio, TX | 78.18 | 1 | 33 | 67 |
| 22 | Winston, NC | 77,77 | 68 | 11 | 1 |
| 23 | Fort Wayne, IN | 77.66 | 41 | 18 | 14 |
| 24 | Greenville, SC | 77.65 | 36 | 34 | 9 |
| 25 | Dallas, TX | 77.61 | 12 | 32 | 39 |
| 26 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 77.47 | 32 | 28 | 24 |
| 27 | El Paso, TX | 77.33 | 3 | 64 | 45 |
| 28 | Louisville, KY | 76.83 | 15 | 14 | 64 |
| 29 | Charleston, SC | 76.58 | 17 | 57 | 30 |
| 30 | Greensboro, NC | 76.31 | 62 | 15 | 5 |
| 31 | Huntsville, AL | 76.22 | 33 | 91 | 20 |
| 32 | Akron, OH | 76.11 | 19 | 60 | 37 |
| 33 | Toledo, OH | 75.94 | 27 | 40 | 31 |
| 34 | Detroit, MI | 75.79 | 58 | 9 | 29 |
| 35 | Riverside, CA | 75.56 | 55 | 19 | 22 |
| 36 | Albuquerque, NM | 75.54 | 16 | 36 | 52 |
| 37 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 75.50 | 30 | 39 | 32 |
| 38 | Nashville, TN | 75.40 | 28 | 59 | 27 |
| 39 | Dayton, OH | 75.39 | 40 | 45 | 35 |
| 40 | Columbus, OH | 74.62 | 26 | 43 | 51 |
| 41 | Grand Rapids, MI | 74.54 | 42 | 35 | 48 |
| 42 | Cincinnati, OH | 73.78 | 24 | 27 | 82 |
| 43 | Indianapolis, IN | 73.33 | 45 | 48 | 40 |
| 44 | Scranton, PA | 73.17 | 59 | 37 | 41 |
| 45 | Richmond, VA | 73.10 | 70 | 20 | 42 |
| 46 | Cleveland, OH | 73.02 | 34 | 72 | 44 |
| 47 | Providence, RI | 73.02 | 48 | 56 | 49 |
| 48 | Kansas City, MO | 72.90 | 44 | 63 | 34 |
| 49 | Houston, TX | 72.57 | 29 | 62 | 65 |
| 50 | Charlotte, NC | 72.57 | 60 | 21 | 56 |
| 51 | Virginia Beach, VA | 72.22 | 57 | 30 | 59 |
| 52 | Phoenix, AZ | 71.90 | 49 | 61 | 43 |
| 53 | Reno, NV | 71.75 | 51 | 47 | 60 |
| 54 | Omaha, NE | 71.64 | 38 | 67 | 69 |
| 55 | Des Moines, IA | 71.47 | 46 | 86 | 53 |
| 56 | Hartford, CT | 71.34 | 66 | 53 | 50 |
| 57 | Las Vegas, NV | 71.28 | 50 | 29 | 87 |
| 58 | Raleigh, NC | 71.16 | 56 | 46 | 62 |
| 59 | Milwaukee, WI | 71.07 | 43 | 38 | 81 |
| 60 | Durham, NC | 70.86 | 74 | 80 | 19 |
| 61 | Atlanta, GA | 70.49 | 47 | 42 | 85 |
| 62 | Allentown, PA | 70.35 | 67 | 77 | 47 |
| 63 | Baltimore, MD | 70.33 | 64 | 54 | 58 |
| 64 | Asheville, NC | 70.19 | 82 | 50 | 38 |
| 65 | Anchorage, AK | 69.77 | 63 | 65 | 61 |
| 66 | Austin, TX | 69.65 | 35 | 79 | 89 |
| 67 | Philadelphia, PA | 69.61 | 52 | 44 | 90 |
| 68 | New Haven, CT | 69.41 | 71 | 75 | 66 |
| 69 | St. Louis, Mo | 69.39 | 54 | 66 | 76 |
| 70 | Spokane, WA | 68.60 | 72 | 78 | 57 |
| 71 | Orlando, FL | 68.01 | 79 | 49 | 74 |
| 72 | Tucson, AZ | 67.50 | 75 | 52 | 84 |
| 73 | Springfield, MA | 67.39 | 87 | 69 | 63 |
| 74 | Los Angeles, CA | 66.93 | 73 | 71 | 79 |
| 75 | Portland, ME | 66.85 | 85 | 81 | 71 |
| 76 | Tampa, FL | 66.78 | 69 | 83 | 77 |
| 77 | Pittsburgh, PA | 66.75 | 65 | 88 | 80 |
| 78 | Manchester, NH | 66,66 | 92 | 51 | 54 |
| 79 | San Diego, CA | 66.21 | 83 | 58 | 86 |
| 80 | Bridgeport, CT | 66.01 | 81 | 98 | 73 |
| 81 | Jacksonville, FL | 65.84 | 88 | 68 | 72 |
| 82 | Washington DC | 65.56 | 53 | 76 | 98 |
| 83 | Miami, FL | 65.48 | 76 | 85 | 83 |
| 84 | Chicago, IL | 65.37 | 61 | 92 | 92 |
| 85 | Ogden, UT | 65.24 | 94 | 70 | 46 |
| 86 | Worcester, MA | 65.19 | 89 | 95 | 55 |
| 87 | Sacramento, CA | 64,68 | 77 | 82 | 92 |
| 88 | New York, NY | 64.22 | 79 | 74 | 99 |
| 89 | Boise, ID | 64.17 | 91 | 55 | 78 |
| 90 | Provo, UT | 63.75 | 100 | 84 | 33 |
| 91 | Salt Lake City, UT | 63.22 | 99 | 73 | 75 |
| 92 | Portland, OR | 62.07 | 78 | 89 | 97 |
| 93 | San Francisco, CA | 62.01 | 86 | 97 | 93 |
| 94 | Colorado Springs, CO | 61.83 | 97 | 94 | 68 |
| 95 | Minneapolis, MN | 61.65 | 84 | 87 | 96 |
| 96 | San Jose, CA | 60.77 | 90 | 100 | 91 |
| 97 | Denver, CO | 60.57 | 98 | 99 | 70 |
| 98 | Boston, MA | 60.55 | 96 | 90 | 88 |
| 99 | Honolulu, HI | 59.04 | 93 | 93 | 100 |
| 100 | Seattle, WA | 58.33 | 95 | 96 | 95 |