THURSDAY, Jan. 19, 2012 — Using real-life workout data from its 1.7 million active users, fitness social network MapMyFITNESS has released its list of the fittest of the fit U.S. cities and states. Compiling data from users in 2,500 cities nationwide, the company calculated each city’s fitness level using self-reported runs, bike rides, walks, and gym sessions.

Based on the company’s calculations, the top 10 fit states are:

1. District of Columbia
2. Massachusetts
3. Colorado
4. Vermont
5. Oregon
6. New Hampshire
7. Utah
8. Connecticut
9. Wisconsin
10. Minnesota

The top 10 fit cities are:

1. Minneapolis, Minn.
2. Denver, Colo.
3. Atlanta, Ga.
4. Pittsburgh, Pa.
5. Seattle, Wash.
6. Portland, Ore.
7. Washington, D.C.
8. San Francisco, Calif.
9. Austin, Texas
10. Boston, Mass.

The least-fit cities on MapMyFITNESS’ list include Santa Ana, Calif., El Paso, Texas, Anaheim, Calif., Corpus Christi, Texas, and St. Louis, Mo. If you’re disappointed with your city or state’s performance on the fit city list, just start tracking your workouts with MapMyFITNESS — the company will be updating its rankings once a month all year based on new data.

MapMyFITNESS’ use of self-reported workout data sets its rankings apart from similar lists. Most fit-state rankings take into account measures such as exercising rates, access to recreational facilities, numbers of running and biking trails, smoking rates, and access to fresh, healthy foods. It’s this kind of data that helped Minneapolis, Minn., also nab the top spot in a 2011 analysis of the fittest U.S. cities by the American College of Sports Medicine. Similarly, Washington, D.C., Boston, Mass., Portland, Ore., Denver, Colo., and San Francisco, Calif., also topped the American College of Sports Medicine’s list. Oklahoma City, Okla., Louisville, Ky., Memphis, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., and Detroit, Mich., were all in the bottom five fittest cities.
