The best and worst cities for fitness in Florida have been revealed, with Boca Raton at the top and Lakeland at the bottom.
Reversed Health analyzed data from 27 Florida cities with at least 100,000 residents regarding fitness facilities, green space, local food, walkability, obesity and physical inactivity levels, and air quality.
Each factor was converted to a score out of 100 and weighted to create a final fitness index. Higher scores represent stronger overall conditions for residents who want to live a healthier lifestyle.
Top cities in Florida for fitness.
Boca Raton ranks #1 among Florida cities with a Fitness Index score of 65.1. Obesity and physical inactivity rates are also 23.2% and 19.3%, the lowest among major cities.
Tallahassee followed in second place with 63.5 points. Their highest score was for the amount of green space the city has for outdoor exercise.
West Palm Beach ranks third with a Fitness Index score of 62.9. It’s tied with Boca Raton for the highest concentration of fitness facilities.
Gainesville is fourth with a score of 61.2. It had the highest percentage of park acres per 1,000 residents and received the highest score for clean air.
St. Petersburg is in the top five with a fitness index score of 58.9.
Neighboring Clearwater is close behind in sixth place with 58.6 points. It also received high scores from more green spaces.
Davie ranks seventh with a Fitness Index score of 57.0.
Miami ranked 8th with 55.0 points. This city records the highest walkability results in Florida.
Sunrise ranked No. 9 with a Fitness Index score of 54.0, while Fort Lauderdale rounded out the top 10.
10 cities in Florida rank last for staying fit and healthy.
Lakeland ranks last among 27 Florida cities with a Fitness Index score of 27.5. With just 6.2 fitness facilities per 100,000 residents, it has the lowest concentration of state rankings and is surrounded by fast food restaurants, which account for 52.88% of measured food businesses, the highest share of any Florida city.
Palm Coast ranks second from the bottom.
Jacksonville comes in third from the bottom with a Fitness Index score of 34.6. The state’s most populous city accounted for 48% of fast food restaurants of the restaurant type measured.
Port St. Lucie is fourth from the bottom.
Palm Bay ranks fifth from the bottom with a Fitness Index score of 40.2.
Cape Coral follows in sixth place from the bottom with 41.6 points.
Miramar ranks seventh from the bottom with a Fitness Index score of 45.1%.
Tampa ranks eighth from the bottom with 46.3 points.
Deltona ranks ninth from the bottom with a Fitness Index score of 46.4.
Pembroke Pines finished in the bottom 10 with a Fitness Index score of 47.0.
