A New Study Just Ranked the Fittest States in America — Plus 5 That Are Falling Behind
A new index looked at gyms, obesity, sleep, fast food, and exercise habits to see which states are actually prioritizing fitness in 2026.
If your New Year’s resolution involved getting healthier, you’re not alone. In 2026, about a quarter of Americans say they’re trying to exercise more, while others are focusing on eating better and improving their overall physical health.
A lot of that comes down to personal habits, but your ZIP code matters more than you might think. Access to gyms, safe places to walk, and even how many fast food spots are nearby can all nudge your routine in one direction or another.
To see where people are really prioritizing fitness, healthcare staffing platform Nursa created a “Fittest States Index.” They looked at everything from obesity and inactivity rates to sleep, fruit and vegetable intake, gym density, walking and hiking routes, smoking, alcohol use, and how many residents actually hit 150+ minutes of exercise a week.
Here’s how the states stack up — and which ones are struggling the most.
The 10 Fittest States in America, Ranked
10. Maryland
Maryland just sneaks into the top 10 with a solid all-around profile. About 62.2% of residents get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, and 32.7% of adults have obesity, lower than many neighboring states. Inactivity sits at 19.5%, which isn’t perfect, but the state’s mix of gyms, trails, and urban walkability helps keep people moving.
9. New Jersey
New Jersey might be known for turnpikes and shore traffic, but the numbers tell a healthier story. Only 27.7% of residents have obesity, and just 11.8% of adults smoke, both better than national averages. More than 62% of people hit that 150-minute weekly exercise mark, even though a sizable chunk still reports getting less than seven hours of sleep a night.
8. California
California lands in eighth place with a combination of relatively low obesity (29.1%) and strong exercise habits — 63.2% of residents get enough weekly activity. The state’s mild weather and access to outdoor recreation don’t hurt. While more than a third of adults sleep under seven hours and about one in five is inactive, the overall lifestyle still leans more “hike and salad” than “couch and drive-thru.”
7. New Hampshire
New Hampshire punches above its weight. Around 61.9% of residents meet weekly exercise guidelines, and obesity sits at 31.1%, better than many parts of the country. The state also has plenty of walking, hiking, and running routes (38.7 per 100,000 people), which gives people more options than just the gym when they want to move.
6. Connecticut
Connecticut lands in sixth place thanks to a healthier-than-average lifestyle profile. About 64.5% of adults exercise at least 150 minutes a week, and only 12.3% smoke. Obesity is still an issue at 32%, but relatively strong fruit and vegetable intake and a decent density of trails and routes help nudge the state into the top tier.
5. Utah
Utah ranks fifth, even with a 31% obesity rate. Only 10.1% of adults smoke — one of the lowest rates in the country — and just 16.8% of residents are inactive outside of work. More than half of Utahns get 150+ minutes of exercise a week, and the state’s mountains, parks, and outdoor culture clearly show up in the data.
4. Colorado
Colorado looks like a fitness case study. It has the lowest obesity rate in the country at 25% and the highest gym density, with 16.5 gyms per 100,000 people. Only 15.6% of residents are inactive outside of work, even though the state also has the most fast food locations per 100,000 people — proof that access to convenient food doesn’t automatically cancel out a strong movement culture.
3. Washington
Washington takes third place, helped by an impressive 73.6 walking, running, and hiking routes per 100,000 people and 15.3 gyms per 100,000. About 61% of residents get enough weekly exercise, and only 17.4% are inactive. Smokers are a smaller group here too, at 12.7%, and alcohol consumption is slightly below the national average.
2. Massachusetts
Massachusetts comes in second, with some of the strongest numbers in the entire index. Just 27% of adults have obesity — well below the national rate — and only 11.7% smoke, one of the lowest percentages in the country. Most impressively, 68.1% of residents get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, suggesting this is a place where regular movement is the norm, not the exception.
1. Vermont
Vermont takes the top spot as the fittest state in America, with an overall score of 8.97 out of 10. Vermonters are the most well-rested in the country, with only 29.6% sleeping under seven hours a night, and they also eat the healthiest: 12.9% of residents hit the benchmark of at least two fruits and three vegetables daily, more than three times Oklahoma’s rate. Add in relatively low smoking (13.2%), fewer fast food locations than the U.S. average, high levels of physical activity, and plenty of green space and trails, and it’s not hard to see why life expectancy here reaches 78.4 years.
The 5 States Struggling Most With Fitness
Of course, not every state is set up for success. Some places face steeper challenges when it comes to obesity, inactivity, food access, and basic infrastructure that supports an active lifestyle.
Louisiana
Louisiana ranks as the least fit state in the index, with an overall score of 4.25 out of 10. It has the fewest gyms per 100,000 people (just 2.8), a 39.2% obesity rate, and 21% of residents smoke. Nearly 40% of adults sleep under seven hours a night, and more than a quarter of people are inactive outside of work, making it that much harder to break out of unhealthy patterns.
Mississippi
Mississippi lands just above Louisiana, with a 4.36 score. About 40.4% of residents have obesity, one of the highest rates in the nation, and 30.6% are inactive outside of work. Fruit and vegetable intake is particularly low, with only 4.1% of adults meeting the recommended daily amounts, which doesn’t leave much of a nutritional buffer.
West Virginia
West Virginia is third from the bottom, with the highest obesity rate in the country at 41.4%. More than 41% of residents sleep less than seven hours a night, and over a quarter are inactive outside of work. Smoking is also a major factor here, with 21.6% of adults lighting up, adding another layer of strain to overall health outcomes.
Alabama
Alabama posts a 4.99 score, with 38.9% of adults living with obesity and 40.5% sleeping under seven hours. Inactivity sits at 27.6%, and fewer than half of residents get the recommended 150 minutes of exercise each week. With relatively few gyms and limited walking routes, the environment itself doesn’t make it easy to adopt healthier habits.
Nevada
Nevada rounds out the bottom five with a score of 5.11. About 34.2% of residents have obesity, and nearly 39% are short on sleep. More than half of adults exercise enough each week, which helps, but high inactivity rates, heavier alcohol consumption (3.4 gallons per person per year), and a sizable smoking population keep the state in the “struggling” category.
Living in a “fit” or “unfit” state doesn’t decide your personal health, but the numbers do highlight how much environment matters. Access to safe places to move, decent food options, and basic health infrastructure can make New Year’s goals feel realistic instead of impossible.
If nothing else, this index is a reminder that fitness isn’t just about willpower — it’s also about where you live, what’s around you, and how easy it is to build healthy habits into everyday life.
If you’re curious how this lines up with where people are most obsessed with running long distances or which cities are struggling the most with weight-related health issues, recent studies on the most hardcore marathon states and the fattest cities in America tell a pretty similar story about how much our surroundings shape our health.
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