Northern Virginia's city of Arlington and Washington, D.C. are America’s No. 1 and No. 2 fittest cities respectively, according to the 2026 American Fitness Index.

The American College of Sports Medicine released an index on Tuesday ranking the 100 largest cities in America based on fitness. Here are the top ten:

1. Arlington, Va. 
2. Washington, D.C. 
3. Minneapolis, Minn.
4. Seattle, Wash.
5. Denver, Colo.
6. San Francisco, Calif.
7. Irvine, Calif.
8. Atlanta, Ga.
9. Madison, Wis.
10. Boston, Mass.

Arlington is No.1 for the ninth consecutive year and Washington has been No. 2 since 2023. Professionals say the top cities are highly ranked due to access to exercise space and active lifestyles.

“The things that make places like Arlington, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver the top five is accessibility” to parks and trails where residents can exercise, Dr. Stella Volpe told WTOP News. 

Volpe was the past president of the American College of Sports Medicine and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board.

Elevance Health Foundation has partnered with the American College of Sports Medicine for the past 19 years to produce the fitness index. 

The foundation focuses on addressing areas such as maternal and infant health, behavioral health, and access to nutritious food. Elevance recognizes that these factors are related to physical activity and well-being, according to Chief Health Officer Shantanu Agrawal of Elevance Health.

This year’s report combines data and rankings regarding physical activity, asthma and air quality. It includes measures of personal health behaviors, chronic disease outcomes, community infrastructure and environmental factors.

Arlington’s success at number one comes down to strong performance across multiple pools of data including physical activity levels, access to parks and recreational facilities, and supportive transportation infrastructure, according to the report.

“Even when it comes to public transportation, it’s easy for you all (in Arlington and D.C.) to walk to public transportation or walk to get coffee or walk to lunch,” Volpe said. “That ability to have places close by makes it really, really nice.”