Portland Ranked Among Healthiest Cities in U.S.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

GoLocalPDX News Team

How healthy is the City of Portland?

Portland is ranked as the 5th healthiest city in the U.S., according to a recent study done by WalletHub.

“Location matters when it comes to health. Some places promote wellness by expanding access to nutritious food and recreational facilities. Others strive to keep treatment costs affordable for everyone or protect green space that encourages an active and healthy lifestyle,” said WalletHub.

Portland ranks 49th for health care, 2nd for food, 18th for fitness and 10th for green space.

The Ranking

Portland ranks 5th in ahead of Irvine, California and Huntington Beach, California who rank 6th and 7th respectively.

The top 5 are as follows:

1. San Francisco, California

2. Salt Lake City, Utah

3. Scottsdale, Arizona

4. Seattle, Washington

5. Portland, Oregon

For the full rankings see the map below

Source: WalletHub

The Method

WalletHub’s analysts compared 150 of the most populated cities across four key dimensions: 1) Health Care, 2) Food, 3) Fitness and 4) Green Space.

They then evaluated the four dimensions using 34 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for a healthy lifestyle.

WalletHub then calculated overall scores for each city using its weighted average across all metrics and ranked the cities based on the resulting scores.

Health Care – Total Points: 25

Premature-Death Rate: Triple Weight (~5.36 Points)
Mental Health: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Mental-Health Counselors per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Physical Health: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Family Doctors per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Dentists per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Cost of Medical Visit: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Cost of Dental Visit: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Quality of Public Hospital System: Full* Weight (~1.79 Points)
Hospital Beds per Capita: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Adult Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
Youth Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)

Food – Total Points: 25

Fruit & Vegetable Consumption: Double Weight (~6.26 Points)
Farmer's Markets per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
Healthy Restaurants per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
Dietitians & Nutritionists per Capita: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
Share of Obese Residents: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)
Limited Access to Healthy Foods: Full Weight (~3.13 Points)

Fitness – Total Points: 25

Share of Residents Who Engage in Any Physical Activity: Double Weight (~8.33 Points)
Fitness Clubs per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Average Cost of Fitness-Club Membership: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Recreational Leagues per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Weight-Loss Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Green Space – Total Points: 25