Mindbody Wellness Index Ranks the Top 10 Healthiest Cities in America

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Dec. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindbody, the leading technology platform for the wellness industry, today released the Top 10 list of Healthiest Cities in America as part of its 2021 Mindbody Wellness Index. For the second year in a row, Miami, FL topped the list followed by Atlanta and San Francisco, which also matched their positions from a year ago.  

The Mindbody Wellness Index looks at American wellness across all seven dimensions: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, environmental, social and occupational. The study, which evaluated the 50 largest cities in the US by population and ranked them from healthiest to least through a proprietary scoring algorithm, provides a detailed glimpse into the health and wellness of America's largest urban centers.  

The survey studied workout habits, self-care routines, connection to community and spirituality, stress levels and wellness spend, among other wellness behaviors and attitudes.  

"Even in a pandemic environment, we found several cities in the top ten hailing from states that had or continue to have some of the nation's most severe restrictions on business activity," said Josh McCarter, CEO of Mindbody. "The Mindbody Wellness Index validates the assumptions we had going into this research study and that is that Americans are highly invested in their health and wellness routines across a variety of dimensions. They're cognizant of the positive impact that wellness plays in their lives and many stayed close to their wellness routines by engaging in virtual workouts either through our Virtual Wellness Platform or other means. The study reassures our belief that once the pandemic is behind us - we are poised to see a resurgence of consumer demand for wellness services." 

Miami maintained the top position by performing extremely well in a variety of wellness dimensions. Since the pandemic started, over three quarters of its residents say they're more focused on their health and wellness – more than any other US city. Miami also makes fitness a priority, with 87 percent saying they work out at least once a week – again leading all cities in the survey.  

New York City, the nation's largest metro, proved resilient against some of the nation's strictest lockdown orders. It ranked third in happiness, spiritual fulfilment, strong ties to neighborhood and community, and fifth in close relationships with family and friends. Other key findings include New York City climbing eleven points in happiness over a year ago, the largest such jump in all the cities analyzed.  

Even with lengthy lockdown orders, 75 percent of New Yorkers are exercising at least once a week and embracing virtual fitness, with 65 percent engaging in live stream or on-demand workouts on a weekly basis.  

2021 Mindbody Wellness Index Top 10 Healthiest Cities in America  

1. Miami, FL 
2. Atlanta, GA 
3. San Francisco, CA 
4. New York, NY 
5. Washington, DC 
6. San Jose, CA 
7. Los Angeles, CA 
8. San Diego, CA 
9. Houston, TX 
10. Seattle, WA 

*View full list here  

Technology adoption helped Miami retain the top ranking as it was the fastest to adopt virtual workouts with 75 percent of residents joining live stream or on-demand workouts on a weekly basis. Miami also scored highest on social wellness, taking the distinction of the happiest city, most well-rested and having the closest relationships with friends and family. Lastly, Miami consumers are the top spenders at salons and spas, fitness studios and gyms and wellness businesses. 

California managed to land four cities in the top ten (San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego) even though the Golden State continues to face severe restrictions on movement. All four cities rank high on frequency of workouts and tech adoption with live stream or on-demand fitness classes.  

Atlanta, this year's runner-up, ranks as the most spiritually fulfilled and topped the list as the city that is most connected to their neighbors and community. Atlanta's focus on health and wellness paid off in other ways, as it tied with San Francisco for the highest percentage of residents with normal body mass index, as defined by the CDC. 

In addition to the city rankings, the Mindbody Wellness Index identified five wellness trends predictions for the New Year. The most in demand wellness trends for 2021 will include: touchless spa services, staying power of virtual fitness, micro or snackable workouts, above the mask beauty services and overcoming fitness fears. 

About the Mindbody Wellness Index
The Mindbody Wellness Index looks at American health across the seven dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, environmental, social and occupational. Mindbody administered an online survey to 19,882 US adults in the 50 largest cities. The survey included a variety of behavioral, attitudinal, and preference questions related to consumer engagement in wellness and health behaviors, including workout habits, stress levels, self-care routines, wellness budgets, spirituality, familial relationships, connection to community and other wellness behaviors amid a pandemic.  

About Mindbody 
Mindbody is the leading technology platform for the fitness, wellness, and beauty industries. Fitness studios, salons, spas, and integrated health centers—from the newest entrepreneurs to the largest franchises—use Mindbody's integrated software and payments platform to run, market, and grow their businesses. Consumers use Mindbody to more easily find, engage, and transact with wellness providers in their local communities and around the world. For more information on how Mindbody is helping people lead healthier, happier lives by connecting the world to wellness, visit mindbodyonline.com. 

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SOURCE Mindbody