CA City Ranked Healthiest In U.S.: WalletHub List

CALIFORNIA — A city in California ranked as the healthiest city in the country, according to a new report from WalletHub.

The personal finance website this week published its 2025 Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities in America study. San Francisco topped the list.

"Staying healthy is a personal responsibility, and everyone should strive to eat nutritious food, exercise regularly and look after their mental health," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "However, where people live can have a big influence on how successful they are at staying in good health, so the best cities are the ones that provide the greatest access to high-quality health care, green spaces, recreation centers and healthy food."

WalletHub compared 182 of the most populous cities in the U.S. across 41 key indicators of good health. These metrics were divided across four categories: health care, food, fitness and green space.

WalletHub analysts graded each metric on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for a healthy lifestyle. The data set ranged from the cost of a medical visit to fruit and vegetable consumption to the share of physically active adults.

San Francisco ranked first for food and green space, 35th for fitness and 51st for health care.

The city spends more per capita on parks and recreation than all major cities except one, allowing people to enjoy well-maintained nature and physical activity, according to the report. It's also one of the most walkable and bikeable cities and has some of the most healthy restaurants per capita.

"San Francisco is the healthiest city in America, in part because it has the second-lowest share of obese adults in the country, at just 18% of the population," Lupo said. "San Franciscans eat well and have good opportunities for exercise, too. San Francisco has the second-lowest share of people who eat less than one serving of fruits or vegetables per day, and 100% of the population lives reasonably close to a location where they can do some sort of physical activity."

Honolulu, Hawaii, ranked as the second healthiest city in the U.S., followed by Seattle, Washington, at third and Salt Lake City, Utah, at fourth.

San Diego ranked as the healthiest city in Southern California and the fifth healthiest city in the U.S. America's Finest City ranked first in hiking trails per capita, ninth in healthy restaurants per capita, and 19th in share of physically active adults, according to the report.

San Bernardino ranked 166th, making it the unhealthiest city in California, according to the report. Brownsville, Texas, landed in the last spot on the list.

These are the cities in California that made the list. National rankings are in parenthesis:

1. San Francisco (1)
2. San Diego (5)
3. Huntington Beach (10)
4. Irvine (11)
5. Glendale (12)
6. Los Angeles (13)
7. Fremont (21)
8. San Jose (22)
9. Oakland (24)
10. Long Beach (26)
11. Garden Grove (29)
12. Oceanside (39)
13. Sacramento (42)
14. Santa Clarita (51)
15. Santa Rosa (52)
16. Santa Ana (57)
17. Anaheim (60)
18. Chula Vista (81)
19. Oxnard (98)
20. Riverside (101)
21. Modesto (102)
22. Rancho Cucamonga (115)
23. Fresno (133)
24. Ontario (141)
25. Stockton (144)
26. Bakersfield (147)
27. Moreno Valley (159)
28. Fontana (163)
29. San Bernardino (166)

Read the full report on WalletHub.