See Where Worcester Ranks Among Healthiest Cities in the U.S.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Worcester is ranked 57th on the list of healthiest cities in the U.S., according to a study done by WalletHub.
“Location matters when it comes to health. Some places promote wellness by expanding access to nutritious food and recreational facilities. Others strive to keep treatment costs affordable for everyone or protect green space that encourages an active and healthy lifestyle,” said WalletHub.
Worcester ranks 68th for health care, 68th for food, 39th for fitness and 70th for green space.
The study also notes that medical visit’s in Worcester rank as the 5th most expensive in the country.
The Rankings
Worcester ranks 57th behind Colorado Springs, Colorado and Chesapeake, Virginia who rank 55th and 56th respectively. Worcester is ranked ahead of St. Petersburg, Florida and Anaheim, California who rank 58th and 59th respectively.
San Francisco, California is ranked as the healthiest city in the country, while Detroit, Michigan is ranked as the unhealthiest.
See the full rankings in the map below
The Method
WalletHub’s analysts compared 150 of the most populated cities across four key dimensions: 1) Health Care, 2) Food, 3) Fitness and 4) Green Space.
They then evaluated the four dimensions using 34 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for a healthy lifestyle.
WalletHub then calculated overall scores for each city using its weighted average across all metrics and ranked the cities based on the resulting scores.
Health Care – Total Points: 25
- Premature-Death Rate: Triple Weight (~5.36 Points)
- Mental Health: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Mental-Health Counselors per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Physical Health: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Family Doctors per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Dentists per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Cost of Medical Visit: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Cost of Dental Visit: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Quality of Public Hospital System: Full* Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Hospital Beds per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Adult Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
- Youth Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Food – Total Points: 25
- Fruit & Vegetable Consumption: Double Weight (~6.26 Points)
- Farmer's Markets per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
- Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
- Healthy Restaurants per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
- Dietitians & Nutritionists per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
- Share of Obese Residents: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
- Limited Access to Healthy Foods: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
Fitness – Total Points: 25
- Share of Residents Who Engage in Any Physical Activity: Double Weight (~8.33 Points)
- Fitness Clubs per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Average Cost of Fitness-Club Membership: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Recreational Leagues per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Weight-Loss Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Green Space – Total Points: 25
- Parkland Acres per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Quality of Parks: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Hiking Trails per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Running Trails per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Walking Trails per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Walk Score: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Bike Score: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Physical-Activity Access: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- City “Greenness”: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Recreation Access: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
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