Coronary Capitals: Cities Ranked on Heart Health

An undated view of Baltimore, which has one of the worst records for heart health in the country. (Getty Images)

 

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In Rocky III we see two knockouts in the ring -- and one in the locker room, where Mickey is Ko'd by a heart attack. It's a familiar script: Philly guy goes up against heavyweight heart disease and is leveled. In fact, if there's an eye of the tiger in the city, we bet it's staring at a cheesesteak.

Here's the tale of the tape. We began with death rates for heart disease and then factored in big clues to cardiac woes: the number of people who smoke, don't exercise, or are overweight or obese, along with the number who have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol (all from the CDC).

Next we checked how many households floss (inflammation from gum disease can contribute to heart risks) and take cholesterol-lowering meds (SimplyMap).

Finally, we included EPA stats on the number of bad-air days. (And if you want to keep your heart in top shape while building muscle, check out The Incredible 82-Day Speed Shred.)

1. San Francisco, CA (A+)

2. Aurora, CO (A+)

3. Seattle, WA (A+)

4. Austin, TX (A+)

5. Colorado Springs, CO (A+)

6. Burlington, VT (A+)

7. Minneapolis, MN (A+)

8. Portland, OR (A+)

9. Boise City, ID (A)

10. Oakland, CA (A)

11. St. Paul, MN (A)

12. Lincoln, NE (A)

13. Madison, WI (A)

14. Salt Lake city, UT (A)

15. Durham, NC (A)

16. Sioux Falls, SD (A)

17. Raleigh, NC (A)

Getty Images

An undated view of Baltimore, which has one... View Full Size

Getty Images

An undated view of Baltimore, which has one of the worst records for heart health in the country.

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18. San Jose, CA (A-)

19. Anaheim, CA (A-)

20. Denver, CO (A-)

21. Charlotte, NC (B+)

22. San Diego, CA (B+)

23. Bridgeport, CT (B+)

24. Albuquerque, NM (B+)

25. Fargo, ND (B+)

26. Anchorage, AK (B+)

27. Atlanta, GA (B+)

28. Chesapeake, VA (B)

29. Plano, TX (B)

30. Virginia Beach, VA (B)

31. Manchester, NH (B)

32. Sacramento, CA (B)

33. Boston, MA (B)

34. Portland, ME (B-)

35. Orlando, FL (B-)

36. Bakersfield, CA (B-)

37. Washington, DC (B-)

38. Honolulu, HI (C+)

39. Phoenix, AZ (C+)

40. Reno, NV (C+)

41. Los Angeles, CA (C+)

42. San Antonio, TX (C+)

43. Billings, MT (C+)

44. Omaha, NE (C+)

45. Wilmington, DE (C+)

46. Nashville, TN (C+)

47. Freso, CA (C)

48. Des Moines, IA (C)

49. Wichita, KS (C)

50. Ft. Worth, TX (C)

51. Jersey City, NJ (C)

52. Norfolk, VA (C)

53. Tucson, AZ (C)

54. Cheyenne, WY (C)

55. Baton Rouge, LA (C-)

56. Greensboro, NC (C-)

57. Winston-Salem, NC (C-)

58. Little Rock, AR (C-)

59. Houston, TX (C-)

60. Riverside, CA (C-)

61. Rochester, NY (C-)

62. Stockton, CA (C-)

63. Dallas, TX (C-)

64. Columbia, SC (C-)

65. New York, NY (C-)

66. Laredo, TX (D+)

67. Jacksonville, FL (D+)

68. Las Vegas, NV (D+)

69. Corpus Christi, TX (D+)

70. Tampa, FL (D+)

71. Newark, NJ (D+)

72. Columbus, OH (D+)

73. Miami, FL (D+)

74. New Orleans, LA (D+)

75. Memphis, TN (D)

76. Cincinnati, OH (D)

77. El Paso, TX (D)

78. Providence, RI (D)

79. Lubock, TX (D)

80. Lexington, KY (D-)

81. Chicago, IL (D-)

82. Louisville, KY (D-)

83. Kansas City, MO (D-)

84. Fort Wayne, IN (D-)

85. St. Petersburg, FL (D-)

86. Pittsburgh, PA (F)

87. Oklahoma City, OK (F)

88. Jackson, MS (F)

89. Indianapolis, IN (F)

90. Detroit, MI

91. Tulsa, OK (F)

92. Cleveland, OH (F)

93. Buffalo, NY (F)

94. Toledo, OH (F)

95. Milwaukee, WI (F)

96. St. Louis, MO (F)

97. Baltimore, MD (F)

98. Charleston, WV (F)

99. Birmingham, AL (F)

100. Philadelphia, PA (F)