Advertisement

Here Are the Best and Worst U.S. Cities for Feeling Young

From Redbook

"YOUTH COMES but once in a lifetime," said noted old person Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Except that youth could last a lifetime. Youth considers how young you feel. And for this month’s edition of Metrogrades, we measured which U. S. cities best promote and encourage that feeling.

Our team assessed 100 populous cities on age (naturally) but also on how active people are in taking care of their physical and mental health.

The data set included statistics for unemployment, income, and education—all factors that can affect overall wellbeing.

Each city’s median age and percentage of adults under 65 accounted for 16 percent of our rankings. Accounting for 14 percent each: preventive health services, health behaviors, prevalence of chronic diseases, physical health (sleeping/eating well, etc.), mental health, and socioeconomic factors.

Our sources included the U. S. Census Bureau, CDC, Robert Wood Johnson, Foundation, County Health Rankings, American College, of Sports Medicine, Penn World Well-Being Project.

After we tabulated the results, we saw that these cities are old pros at living young.

But first, a few callouts to cities that stood out in our top 10.

Madison, WI (Most Youthful)

Photo credit: Patrick McDermott - Getty Images
Photo credit: Patrick McDermott - Getty Images

Many cities beat Madison on average age, but none topped MadTown’s physical-health score. That means that not only do residents live close to a park or a gym; they also use it.

What’s more, Madison scored in the 91st percentile for dog parks, in the 97th for basketball hoops, and in the 100th for playgrounds among the 100 largest U.S. cities, according to an analysis by the Trust for Public Land.

Raleigh, NC (#3)

Photo credit: Mark Howard - Getty Images
Photo credit: Mark Howard - Getty Images

Raleigh residents are on top of it. The city had one of the highest preventive-health scores, with residents who regularly go to the dentist, undergo cholesterol screenings, receive annual checkups, and even get their yearly flu shot.

Considering that 20 percent of Americans with health insurance said they didn’t get a checkup in 2018, do like a Raleighite and book an appointment.

Like, now.

San Jose, CA (#8)

Photo credit: Terraxplorer - Getty Images
Photo credit: Terraxplorer - Getty Images

You know that not smoking, drinking in moderation, getting enough sleep, and eating your produce can help you not feel so old. Well, San Joseans live these healthful habits.

They scored well on all those measures but especially well on a lack of current smokers. Credit the city’s early outdoor smoking ban in common areas (stadiums, arenas, parks) in 2012.

Strict, yeah, but that’s the point.

1. Madison, WI
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Plano, TX
5. Raleigh, NC
6. Lincoln, NE
7. Austin, TX
8. San Jose, CA
9. Minneapolis, MN
10. San Diego, CA
11. Denver, CO
12. Washington, DC
13. Burlington, VT
14. Virginia Beach, VA
15. Anaheim, CA
16. Durham, NC
17. Portland, ME
18. Boise City, ID
19. Honolulu, HI
20. St. Paul, MN

Photo credit: Walter Bibikow
Photo credit: Walter Bibikow

21. Nashville, TN
22. Chesapeake, VA
23. Sioux Falls, SB
24. Fargo, ND
25. Columbia, SC
26. Oakland, CA
27. Charleston, WV
28. Aurora, CO
29. Salt Lake City, UT
30. Boston, MA
31. Cheyenne, WY
32. Jersey City, NJ
33. Anchorage, AK
34. Lexington-Fayette, KY
35. Cincinnati, OH
36. Los Angeles, CA
37. Atlanta, GA
38. Bridgeport, CT
39. Portland, OR
40. Omaha, NE

Photo credit: Walter Bibikow
Photo credit: Walter Bibikow

41. Chicago, IL
42. Orlando, FL
43. Sacramento, CA
44. Manchester, NH
45. Lubbock, TX
46. Greensboro, NC
47. Phoenix, AZ
48. Billings, MT
49. Dallas, TX
50. Richmond, VA
51. Des Moines, IA
52. Columbus, OH
53. New York, NY
54. Little Rock, AR
55. Fort Worth, TX
56. Albuquerque, NM
57. Norfolk, VA
58. Providence, RI
59. Houston, TX
60. Tampa, FL

Photo credit: Busà Photography
Photo credit: Busà Photography

61. Jacksonville, FL
62. Tulsa, OK
63. Riverside, CA
64. Bakersfield, CA
65. Oklahoma City, OK
66. Reno, NV
67. El Paso, TX
68. Kansas City, MO
69. Winston-Salem, NC
70. San Antonio, TX
71. Stockton, CA
72. Miami, FL
73. St. Petersburg, FL
74. Wilmington, DE
75. Fresno, CA
76. Laredo, TX
77. Fort Wayne, IN
78. Pittsburgh, PA
79. Newark, NJ
80. Indianapolis, IN

Photo credit: Davel5957
Photo credit: Davel5957

81. Cleveland, OH
82. Birmingham, AL
83. Wichita, KS
84. New Orleans, LA
85. Milwaukee, WI
86. Louisville, KY
87. Jackson, MS
88. Baltimore, MD
89. Corpus Christi, TX
90. Las Vegas, NV
91. Tucson, AZ
92. Philadelphia, PA
93. Baton Rouge, LA
94. Memphis, TN
95. Charlotte, NC
96. St. Louis, MO
97. Detroit, MI
98. Buffalo, NY
99. Toledo, OH
100. Colorado Springs, CO

This article originally appeared in the October 2020 issue of Men's Health.


You Might Also Like