The people of Austin deserve to take a victory lap: The capital city has been crowned the second fittest city in Texas for 2026.
This year’s American Fitness Index puts Austin at No. 28 among the country’s 100 most populated cities, down from 21st place last year, but still No. 2 in Texas. This also means that Austin is well ahead of Austin's other large metros. Austin ranks 19th in the personal health category and 55th — almost dead average — in the community and environment category.
The index shows 82 percent of Austin residents had exercised in the previous month, 61 percent had met aerobic activity guidelines, and 32 percent had met aerobic and strength activity guidelines. All three of those numbers are above the 100-city averages.
Although from rankings alone, it seems that Austin didn't blow any other cities away, the small variance in results may be encouraging to locals hoping to sharpen their athletic edge. At least as far as these behavioral numbers go, there is not much separating Austinites from the residents of the fittest Texas city, Plano.
The Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Plano ranked No. 12 overall nationally, 10th in the personal health category, and 30th in the community and environment category. Compare Plano's aerobic and strength guidance achievement to Austin's numbers above: 86 percent, 67 percent, and 37 percent. At most, these are 6 percentage points better than Austin's.
The Elevance Health Foundation and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) produce the annual index, which they say combines measures of personal health behavior, chronic disease outcomes, community infrastructure and environmental factors “to provide a comprehensive picture of how well cities promote fitness and well-being.”
Arlington, Virginia, tops the index, followed by Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; Seattle; and Denver.
“The cities that consistently rank at the top aren’t succeeding because of one program or one investment,” Stella Volpe, past president of ACSM and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board, says in a press release. “They’ve built systems that support healthier living over time. They are the ones creating environments where physical activity can easily become a part of everyday routines.”
In Austin’s case, a decent park system contributes to the city’s healthy environment. In May, Austin landed at No. 5 in Texas and 47th in the U.S. in the annual ParkScore Index.
Every year, land conservation nonprofit the Trust for Public Land rates park systems in the 100 biggest American cities on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.
Among other Texas cities appearing in the American Fitness index are:
- No. 43 Dallas
- No. 44 Houston
- No. 80 San Antonio
“Where you live increasingly determines how healthy you are,” Volpe says. “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise — they make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation, and community design.”
