The U.S. Cities Facing the Worst Health Challenges

The United States may rank high in the world in many categories, like the military and the economy, but it isn’t the dominant nation when it comes to everything. But when it comes to healthcare, among peer countries, they don’t fare too well. According to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, access to healthcare plays a crucial role in determining the quality of health and many U.S. cities facing the worst health challenges are struggling. 

Health isn't just about diet or exercise, rather, it’s the combination of several factors that contribute to a person’s overall health. Per the World Health Organization (WHO), these include, but are not limited to, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family. Of course having resources at our disposal play a significant role that can lead to outstanding care or, as these cities can attest to, some of the worst health challenges. 

To calculate the U.S. cities facing the worst health challenges, 24/7 Tempo used eight health measures like potential life lost, smoking rate, and percentage reporting fair or poor health, using data from the 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (Check out the US city where life expectancy is only 72 years.)

Here are the U.S. cities facing the worst health challenges:

• Adults in fair or poor health: 19.9% (state: 18.9%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.5% (state: 19.5%)
• Adult obesity rate: 39.5% (state: 39.3%)
• Median household income: $49,691 (state: $53,913)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 11.5% (state: 12.2%)
• Adult smoking rate: 16.4% (state: 18.0%)
• Adult obesity rate: 30.0% (state: 31.8%)
• Median household income: $84,476 (state: $77,845)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 16.7% (state: 14.5%)
• Adult smoking rate: 21.0% (state: 13.7%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.7% (state: 31.5%)
• Median household income: $46,616 (state: $69,056)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 22.8% (state: 19.4%)
• Adult smoking rate: 23.1% (state: 21.6%)
• Adult obesity rate: 42.9% (state: 37.2%)
• Median household income: $46,826 (state: $52,528)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 21.2% (state: 14.4%)
• Adult smoking rate: 15.1% (state: 9.0%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.0% (state: 30.2%)
• Median household income: $58,217 (state: $84,907)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 15.5% (state: 10.2%)
• Adult smoking rate: 17.6% (state: 12.6%)
• Adult obesity rate: 29.6% (state: 24.2%)
• Median household income: $56,689 (state: $82,254)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 11.6% (state: 11.0%)
• Adult smoking rate: 15.4% (state: 12.6%)
• Adult obesity rate: 33.3% (state: 29.5%)
• Median household income: $75,295 (state: $83,771)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 14.6% (state: 12.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.0% (state: 15.8%)
• Adult obesity rate: 39.1% (state: 36.2%)
• Median household income: $64,308 (state: $71,091)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 17.8% (state: 13.3%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.8% (state: 15.5%)
• Adult obesity rate: 38.2% (state: 28.3%)
• Median household income: $55,161 (state: $63,062)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 20.0% (state: 15.1%)
• Adult smoking rate: 21.1% (state: 16.3%)
• Adult obesity rate: 41.4% (state: 34.3%)
• Median household income: $48,659 (state: $66,559)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 11.0% (state: 10.3%)
• Adult smoking rate: 14.0% (state: 12.2%)
• Adult obesity rate: 23.9% (state: 25.0%)
• Median household income: $76,273 (state: $84,857)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 13.6% (state: 11.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 18.2% (state: 14.2%)
• Adult obesity rate: 36.3% (state: 31.3%)
• Median household income: $60,475 (state: $66,474)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 16.7% (state: 12.3%)
• Adult smoking rate: 22.1% (state: 12.8%)
• Adult obesity rate: 38.2% (state: 32.5%)
• Median household income: $49,091 (state: $72,205)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 17.3% (state: 15.1%)
• Adult smoking rate: 22.5% (state: 20.2%)
• Adult obesity rate: 40.1% (state: 37.2%)
• Median household income: $50,497 (state: $62,743)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.9% (state: 12.0%)
• Adult smoking rate: 16.8% (state: 16.8%)
• Adult obesity rate: 36.3% (state: 37.2%)
• Median household income: $61,166 (state: $65,600)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 13.1% (state: 12.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 17.7% (state: 17.2%)
• Adult obesity rate: 37.5% (state: 35.8%)
• Median household income: $57,474 (state: $64,124)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 18.9% (state: 19.5%)
• Adult smoking rate: 22.1% (state: 22.2%)
• Adult obesity rate: 37.6% (state: 37.0%)
• Median household income: $57,057 (state: $55,573)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 20.8% (state: 19.0%)
• Adult smoking rate: 21.2% (state: 18.9%)
• Adult obesity rate: 42.5% (state: 38.3%)
• Median household income: $45,001 (state: $52,087)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.6% (state: 11.1%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.2% (state: 18.0%)
• Adult obesity rate: 34.3% (state: 31.3%)
• Median household income: $56,250 (state: $64,767)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 15.1% (state: 10.6%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.4% (state: 11.1%)
• Adult obesity rate: 37.7% (state: 30.9%)
• Median household income: $67,372 (state: $90,203)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.9% (state: 10.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 15.4% (state: 11.4%)
• Adult obesity rate: 29.2% (state: 24.5%)
• Median household income: $65,520 (state: $89,645)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 16.8% (state: 14.7%)
• Adult smoking rate: 22.2% (state: 19.3%)
• Adult obesity rate: 42.1% (state: 35.3%)
• Median household income: $52,025 (state: $63,498)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 11.7% (state: 10.0%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.5% (state: 14.3%)
• Adult obesity rate: 33.0% (state: 30.6%)
• Median household income: $64,960 (state: $77,720)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 18.6% (state: 18.7%)
• Adult smoking rate: 19.4% (state: 20.7%)
• Adult obesity rate: 39.1% (state: 39.9%)
• Median household income: $55,444 (state: $48,716)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 16.2% (state: 15.2%)
• Adult smoking rate: 22.2% (state: 18.6%)
• Adult obesity rate: 37.3% (state: 34.2%)
• Median household income: $54,702 (state: $61,847)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.9% (state: 12.1%)
• Adult smoking rate: 18.6% (state: 17.5%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.0% (state: 28.9%)
• Median household income: $57,706 (state: $63,249)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.8% (state: 10.2%)
• Adult smoking rate: 17.3% (state: 14.5%)
• Adult obesity rate: 39.1% (state: 34.0%)
• Median household income: $61,749 (state: $66,817)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 16.3% (state: 16.7%)
• Adult smoking rate: 18.4% (state: 14.1%)
• Adult obesity rate: 34.4% (state: 28.1%)
• Median household income: $65,330 (state: $66,274)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 10.9% (state: 10.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 14.1% (state: 14.7%)
• Adult obesity rate: 29.2% (state: 30.5%)
• Median household income: $91,627 (state: $88,465)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 17.8% (state: 10.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 19.1% (state: 11.1%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.7% (state: 27.7%)
• Median household income: $58,389 (state: $89,296)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 17.7% (state: 13.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 22.6% (state: 16.9%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.0% (state: 31.7%)
• Median household income: $47,819 (state: $53,992)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.5% (state: 11.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 19.1% (state: 12.3%)
• Adult obesity rate: 33.0% (state: 26.5%)
• Median household income: $60,219 (state: $74,314)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 17.5% (state: 13.5%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.9% (state: 17.0%)
• Adult obesity rate: 39.0% (state: 33.6%)
• Median household income: $51,769 (state: $61,972)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 11.6% (state: 11.6%)
• Adult smoking rate: 17.8% (state: 17.9%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.9% (state: 33.6%)
• Median household income: $62,568 (state: $66,519)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 16.3% (state: 14.5%)
• Adult smoking rate: 23.9% (state: 20.2%)
• Adult obesity rate: 36.7% (state: 35.8%)
• Median household income: $59,431 (state: $62,262)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 18.0% (state: 17.3%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.7% (state: 19.6%)
• Adult obesity rate: 39.4% (state: 37.1%)
• Median household income: $49,422 (state: $55,826)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 15.8% (state: 12.7%)
• Adult smoking rate: 19.1% (state: 13.6%)
• Adult obesity rate: 30.4% (state: 28.3%)
• Median household income: $48,785 (state: $71,562)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 14.4% (state: 13.1%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.8% (state: 16.7%)
• Adult obesity rate: 33.2% (state: 31.6%)
• Median household income: $52,995 (state: $68,957)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.5% (state: 11.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 15.7% (state: 14.1%)
• Adult obesity rate: 29.6% (state: 30.6%)
• Median household income: $73,788 (state: $74,008)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 18.4% (state: 15.9%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.8% (state: 19.1%)
• Adult obesity rate: 41.7% (state: 36.7%)
• Median household income: $49,724 (state: $59,318)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 10.8% (state: 10.4%)
• Adult smoking rate: 18.0% (state: 19.0%)
• Adult obesity rate: 32.8% (state: 33.4%)
• Median household income: $63,342 (state: $66,143)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 17.9% (state: 15.7%)
• Adult smoking rate: 19.1% (state: 19.7%)
• Adult obesity rate: 38.8% (state: 35.8%)
• Median household income: $55,840 (state: $59,695)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 19.1% (state: 15.7%)
• Adult smoking rate: 21.1% (state: 13.3%)
• Adult obesity rate: 38.6% (state: 35.8%)
• Median household income: $50,070 (state: $66,963)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.0% (state: 10.9%)
• Adult smoking rate: 9.3% (state: 8.3%)
• Adult obesity rate: 30.8% (state: 29.3%)
• Median household income: $61,186 (state: $79,449)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 9.1% (state: 10.6%)
• Adult smoking rate: 13.0% (state: 14.4%)
• Adult obesity rate: 24.5% (state: 26.3%)
• Median household income: $81,852 (state: $72,431)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 14.6% (state: 12.4%)
• Adult smoking rate: 18.6% (state: 13.9%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.0% (state: 32.4%)
• Median household income: $59,630 (state: $80,963)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 19.2% (state: 11.8%)
• Adult smoking rate: 17.5% (state: 11.6%)
• Adult obesity rate: 37.1% (state: 28.0%)
• Median household income: $61,012 (state: $84,247)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 21.7% (state: 20.0%)
• Adult smoking rate: 25.8% (state: 24.0%)
• Adult obesity rate: 41.8% (state: 39.6%)
• Median household income: $38,737 (state: $51,248)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.1% (state: 12.4%)
• Adult smoking rate: 18.4% (state: 16.1%)
• Adult obesity rate: 35.1% (state: 32.7%)
• Median household income: $66,090 (state: $67,125)

• Adults in fair or poor health: 12.2% (state: 11.5%)
• Adult smoking rate: 20.3% (state: 19.4%)
• Adult obesity rate: 34.0% (state: 30.6%)
• Median household income: $63,605 (state: $65,204)