Cincinnati Is One Of America's Most Unhealthiest Cities

Cincinnati, Ohio, recently landed on WalletHub’s 2025 list of America’s unhealthiest cities. While the city is known for its lively culture and beautiful parks, this ranking highlights serious health challenges. However, it also offers a chance for Cincinnati to improve. By addressing key issues, the Queen City can become healthier for everyone.

How WalletHub Ranks Cities

WalletHub studied 182 major U.S. cities, looking at four areas: healthcare, food, fitness, and green spaces. They used 41 factors, like obesity rates, access to healthy food, and park availability, to score each city out of 100. Then, they ranked the cities based on these scores. Although Cincinnati ranked 39th overall in 2024, it still falls behind healthier cities like San Francisco or Seattle. For example, struggles with obesity and limited food access hurt its score.

Cincinnati’s Health Challenges

First, obesity is a big problem. Many Cincinnatians are overweight, increasing risks for diseases like diabetes. Next, access to healthy food is limited in some areas. Low-income neighborhoods often lack grocery stores, making it hard to eat well. Additionally, while Cincinnati has great parks, many residents don’t exercise regularly. Finally, mental health support is scarce, with fewer counselors available compared to other cities.

Cincinnati’s Strengths

Despite these issues, Cincinnati has strengths. For instance, its parks, like Eden Park, encourage outdoor activity. Also, the city ranks high for active lifestyles, thanks to bike-sharing and sports facilities. Moreover, Cincinnati’s premature death rate is lower than in some less healthy cities, like Memphis.

Steps to a Healthier Cincinnati

To improve, Cincinnati can take action. First, bringing grocery stores to food deserts would help. Next, offering free fitness classes could get