NYC ranked No. 2 greatest U.S. metropolis for an energetic way of life. Right here’s why

New York City, AKA “The City That Never Sleeps,” was ranked the second greatest metropolis for an energetic way of life, a brand new WalletHub research revealed.

WalletHub in contrast the 100 largest cities within the United States throughout 35 indicators of an energetic way of life, starting from the typical month-to-month fitness-club payment to town’s bike rating to the share of bodily inactive adults.

“The top cities for staying active offer opportunities for all types of people, from those who prefer team sports to people who simply want to get their daily exercise by walking or biking to work,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “They also tend to be large cities that still have a close proximity to beautiful natural areas for hiking and swimming.”

Here’s what to know.

Why is NY the second-best city for an active lifestyle?

New York City ranked as the No. 2 best city for an active lifestyle with an overall score of 62.03. The “City That Never Sleeps” ranked as No. 32 for the budget and participation category and at No.2 for the sports and outdoor category, tying the first-place spot for basketball hoops per capita with St. Louis and Las Vegas.

According to WalletHub, NYC was ranked the second-most walkable city in the U.S., and it provides lots of opportunities for organized recreation with its availability of dance schools, swimming lessons, bike rental facilities, basketball courts, soccer fields and ice rinks.

WalletHub stated that New York City is also great at providing opportunities for children to stay active, tying the first-place spot with Las Vegas, Chicago, Cincinnati and Sacramento, California for playgrounds per capita.

“Finally, New York’s residents express a high level of interest in staying active,” the WalletHub study stated. “People in NYC search Google for terms relating to workouts and exercise equipment more than people in any other city. That means if you’re interested in staying active, you’ll probably be able to find a lot of like-minded people who you could potentially work out with.”

Buffalo was the only other NY city ranked on the list, coming in at No. 41 with an overall score of 45.10.

WalletHub’s top 10 best cities for an active lifestyle?

1. Honolulu
2. New York
3. San Francisco
4. Chicago
5. Los Angeles
6. Las Vegas
7. Atlanta
8. Cincinnati
9. Denver
10. Madison, Wisconsin

WalletHub’s 10 worst cities for an active lifestyle

• No. 100: Garland, Texas
• No. 99: Irving, Texas
• No. 98: Fort Wayne, Indiana
• No. 97: Fresno, California
• No. 96: San Bernardino, California
• No. 95: Hialeah, Florida
• No. 94: Corpus Christi, Texas
• No. 93: Newark, New Jersey
• No. 92: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• No. 91: North Las Vegas

How WalletHub assessed best and worst cities for an active lifestyle

To determine the best cities for active lifestyles, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across two dimensions: 1. budget & participation and 2. sports & outdoors.

The budget & participation category analyzed these factors:

• Average monthly fitness club fee
• Average cost of sports apparel
• Average bowling cost
• Average cost of tennis court rent
• Sporting goods stores per capita
• Sports clubs per capita
• Share of physically inactive adults
• Share of workers aged 16 and over who bike or walk to work
• Google search interest for “at-home workouts”
• Google search curiosity for “at-home sports equipment”
• Intramural leagues per capita

The sports activities & outside class analyzed these elements:

• Basketball hoops per capita
• Baseball & softball diamonds per capita
• Soccer fields per capita
• Swimming pools per capita
• Tennis courts per capita
• Volleyball nets per capita
• Public and municipal golf courses per capita
• Ice-skating rinks per capita
• Skateboard parks per capita
• Dance schools per capita
• Swimming lessons opportunities per capita
• Bike score
• Bike rental facilities per capita
• Presence of bike-sharing programs
• Fitness centers per capita
• Fitness trainers & aerobics instructors per capita
• Playgrounds per capita
• Parkland acres per capita
• Walk score
• Hiking trails per capita
• Proximity to a major lake/ocean
• Access to exercise opportunities
• Weather
• Air quality

Data used to create the ranking was collected as of Dec. 10, 2025, and the information was sourced from multiple entities, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Environmental Protection Agency, County Health Rankings and WalletHub research.

— Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who covers breaking and trending information for the Finger Lakes Region. She has an curiosity in how the system helps or does not assist families with missing loved ones. She might be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.