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Best States for an Active Lifestyle

Best States for an Active Lifestyle

Many people aspire to be healthy, and good habits, including being physically active, can help. But there are certain obstacles that may prevent a person from maintaining a consistently active daily routine, and one of those complications may be place of residence.

Some cities don’t have many parks and other outdoor places to exercise but have gyms with expensive membership fees, while others seemingly have a gym and/or a park on every block.

To compile a list of the best and worst states for an active lifestyle, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a ranking by Myprotein, a sports nutrition online retailer, which analyzed price of a gym membership in every state and D.C. (as compared to cost of living), the availability of gyms and green space, tennis court rental, and healthy grocery stores.  

New York is among the best states for living an active lifestyle even though it is the most expensive state for gym-goers, with the average cost of a monthly membership coming in at just over $105.

At the other end of the scale, Alabama offers the cheapest gym memberships, costing just $22 on average, but the state ranks in the middle in terms of overall active lifestyle-friendliness. That distinction goes to Rhode Island, which scored highest for affordability, second for green space, and seventh for gym access. These are the 50 most physically active cities in America.

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51. West Virginia
> Total score: 24
> Gyms: 4.6 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 26%
> Affordability rank: 40 out of 51

Source: Muratani / iStock via Getty Images

50. North Carolina
> Total score: 27
> Gyms: 4.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 41%
> Affordability rank: 35 out of 51

Source: kyletperry / iStock via Getty Images

49. Tennessee
> Total score: 33
> Gyms: 4.9 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 45%
> Affordability rank: 46 out of 51

Source: Kirkikis / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

48. Mississippi
> Total score: 38
> Gyms: 4.6 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 33%
> Affordability rank: 26 out of 51

Source: Kirkikis / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

47. Kentucky
> Total score: 47
> Gyms: 4.9 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 38%
> Affordability rank: 27 out of 51

Source: RyanKing999 / iStock via Getty Images

46. Oklahoma
> Total score: 50
> Gyms: 4.5 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 38%
> Affordability rank: 16 out of 51

Source: dmbaker / iStock via Getty Images

45. New York
> Total score: 52
> Gyms: 3.0 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 99%
> Affordability rank: 51 out of 51

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44. Arizona
> Total score: 54
> Gyms: 4.6 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 49%
> Affordability rank: 19 out of 51

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43. Hawaii
> Total score: 57
> Gyms: 4.8 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 70%
> Affordability rank: 48 out of 51

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42. South Carolina
> Total score: 57
> Gyms: 5.2 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 52%
> Affordability rank: 30 out of 51

Source: RyanJLane / Getty Images

41. Texas
> Total score: 57
> Gyms: 5.6 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 61%
> Affordability rank: 23 out of 51

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40. Florida
> Total score: 59
> Gyms: 4.7 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 35%
> Affordability rank: 9 out of 51

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39. Arkansas
> Total score: 60
> Gyms: 4.4 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 43%
> Affordability rank: 6 out of 51

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38. Montana
> Total score: 63
> Gyms: 4.4 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 72%
> Affordability rank: 42 out of 51

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37. Maryland
> Total score: 63
> Gyms: 5.4 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 87%
> Affordability rank: 28 out of 51

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36. South Dakota
> Total score: 67
> Gyms: 4.5 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 64%
> Affordability rank: 44 out of 51

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35. Missouri
> Total score: 67
> Gyms: 5.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 70%
> Affordability rank: 34 out of 51

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34. California
> Total score: 67
> Gyms: 6.8 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 64%
> Affordability rank: 8 out of 51

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33. Indiana
> Total score: 68
> Gyms: 5.9 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 36%
> Affordability rank: 24 out of 51

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32. Nevada
> Total score: 69
> Gyms: 4.6 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 75%
> Affordability rank: 18 out of 51

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31. Michigan
> Total score: 70
> Gyms: 5.1 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 80%
> Affordability rank: 32 out of 51

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30. Ohio
> Total score: 71
> Gyms: 5.1 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 68%
> Affordability rank: 20 out of 51

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29. Vermont
> Total score: 72
> Gyms: 5.1 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 93%
> Affordability rank: 41 out of 51

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28. Alaska
> Total score: 74
> Gyms: 5.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 76%
> Affordability rank: 45 out of 51

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27. Alabama
> Total score: 74
> Gyms: 6.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 33%
> Affordability rank: 7 out of 51

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26. Maine
> Total score: 77
> Gyms: 5.7 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 94%
> Affordability rank: 50 out of 51

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25. Pennsylvania
> Total score: 78
> Gyms: 5.2 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 95%
> Affordability rank: 39 out of 51

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24. Louisiana
> Total score: 81
> Gyms: 5.5 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 80%
> Affordability rank: 49 out of 51

Source: Marilyn Nieves / E+ via Getty Images

23. Georgia
> Total score: 81
> Gyms: 7.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 72%
> Affordability rank: 25 out of 51

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22. Kansas
> Total score: 82
> Gyms: 5.6 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 54%
> Affordability rank: 15 out of 51

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21. Nebraska
> Total score: 84
> Gyms: 6.9 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 82%
> Affordability rank: 43 out of 51

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20. Iowa
> Total score: 84
> Gyms: 7.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 71%
> Affordability rank: 38 out of 51

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19. Oregon
> Total score: 86
> Gyms: 5.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 90%
> Affordability rank: 29 out of 51

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18. Idaho
> Total score: 90
> Gyms: 5.5 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 65%
> Affordability rank: 10 out of 51

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17. Illinois
> Total score: 92
> Gyms: 5.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 98%
> Affordability rank: 31 out of 51

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16. New Jersey
> Total score: 94
> Gyms: 4.4 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 94%
> Affordability rank: 3 out of 51

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15. Washington
> Total score: 95
> Gyms: 6.1 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 97%
> Affordability rank: 37 out of 51

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14. New Hampshire
> Total score: 97
> Gyms: 7.0 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 68%
> Affordability rank: 21 out of 51

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13. New Mexico
> Total score: 98
> Gyms: 4.7 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 90%
> Affordability rank: 5 out of 51

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12. Utah
> Total score: 99
> Gyms: 5.0 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 83%
> Affordability rank: 4 out of 51

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11. Colorado
> Total score: 100
> Gyms: 6.8 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 90%
> Affordability rank: 33 out of 51

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10. Massachusetts
> Total score: 101
> Gyms: 5.9 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 100%
> Affordability rank: 36 out of 51

Source: JMichl / iStock via Getty Images

9. Minnesota
> Total score: 103
> Gyms: 10.0 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 98%
> Affordability rank: 47 out of 51

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8. D.C.
> Total score: 104
> Gyms: 4.9 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 98%
> Affordability rank: 11 out of 51

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7. Virginia
> Total score: 105
> Gyms: 6.6 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 63%
> Affordability rank: 2 out of 51

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6. Wyoming
> Total score: 107
> Gyms: 6.2 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 86%
> Affordability rank: 17 out of 51

Source: carminesalvatore / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

5. Connecticut
> Total score: 114
> Gyms: 6.7 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 73%
> Affordability rank: 14 out of 51

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4. North Dakota
> Total score: 114
> Gyms: 7.5 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 83%
> Affordability rank: 12 out of 51

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3. Wisconsin
> Total score: 118
> Gyms: 7.3 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 92%
> Affordability rank: 22 out of 51

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2. Delaware
> Total score: 126
> Gyms: 6.1 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 99%
> Affordability rank: 13 out of 51

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1. Rhode Island
> Total score: 146
> Gyms: 6.9 per 100,000 people
> Share of residents living within 10 mins of a park: 99%
> Affordability rank: 1 out of 51

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