In a new study conducted by ARRIS, San Francisco, California was found to be the best city for runners. Almost half of Americans (43 percent) currently run. The report found San Francisco’s good air quality, access to parks, and low pedestrian fatality rate all contributed to its top ranking.
The top 10 best running cities
- San Francisco, CA
- Boston, MA
- Mesa, AZ
- San Diego, CA
- Denver, CO
- Seattle, WA
- Albuquerque, NM
- Washington, DC
- San Jose, CA
- Columbus, OH
The city of Boston followed as the second-ranked running city, followed by Mesa, San Diego, and Denver. In addition to San Francisco, the state of California is home to three sunny cities ranking in the top 10 (San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose).
The study analyzed U.S. cities with a population of more than 500,000 in order to evaluate the top-running cities. A weighted ranking used the following factors: pedestrian fatality rates, average air quality index, percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park, and average annual rainfall. Nearly one in three Americans like to run in parks, while many reported the ideal outdoor temperature among runners is 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally—in a survey of more than 1,000 people—the top reasons Americans run are to improve cardiovascular fitness, because it’s inexpensive, to strengthen muscles, de-stress, and to maintain weight.
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ARRIS also came up with a list of the worst running cities. Memphis, Tennessee topped that list, followed by Louisville, Kentucky and Jacksonville, Florida.
While many factors influenced the best places to log miles favored cities in the West, several other places in the Midwest and East Coast made the top 15 including Boston, Washington D.C., Columbus, Ohio, Baltimore, New York City, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Philadelphia. ARRIS’s rankings of America’s best running cities can be found here.
