Maintaining a healthy weight through exercise can save people up to $1,500 in healthcare costs each year. To shed light on the best places for recreational activities in 2023, WalletHub has released its latest report on the Best and Worst Cities for Recreation in the United States.
To emphasize the advantages of recreational activities for individuals and local economies, WalletHub scrutinized the 100 largest U.S. cities, weighing them against 48 key factors related to recreation. These metrics encompassed the ease of accessing entertainment and recreational venues, park quality, and local weather conditions. The study also took into account factors such as the availability of outdoor spaces for physical activities, the number of fitness centers and sports clubs, and the affordability of recreational facilities.
Here’s the lowdown on the top and bottom-ranking cities for recreation in 2023.
Top Cities for Recreation
- Las Vegas, NV
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Atlanta, GA
- Scottsdale, AZ
- San Diego, CA
- Honolulu, HI
- St. Louis, MO
- Chicago, IL
Bottom Cities for Recreation
- Aurora, CO
- Hialeah, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Jersey City, NJ
- Oakland, CA
- Irving, TX
- Durham, NC
- Newark, NJ
- Chula Vista, CA
Other Rankings and Recreation Findings
San Francisco and Boston lead the pack with 100% of their population enjoying accessible parks, a stark contrast to Indianapolis, where just 32% have such access.
New York boasts the most playgrounds per square root of the population, a whopping 0.660085, while Hialeah, Florida, lags behind with a mere 0.050668.
San Francisco invests heavily in parks, allocating $515 per capita, an astonishing 15.6 times more than Jersey City, New Jersey, which allocates only $33 per capita.
San Francisco leads the way once more with the highest density of bike rental facilities per square root of the population, tallying at 0.049433. On the flip side, Kansas City, Missouri, trails far behind with just 0.001411 facilities.
Check out WalletHub’s complete 2023 report for a deeper dive into recreation around the country.
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