Raleigh ranked 22nd in the nation for fitness, beating Charlotte, the only other North Carolina city ranked, in an index of the top 50 metropolitan areas assessed by the American College of Sports Medicine.
The 2010 rankings evaluate a composite of preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease, access to health care, as well as community resources and policies that support physical activity.
Based on those criteria, Washington, D.C., was the nation's most fit city, followed by Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Seattle and Portland, Ore.
Charlotte came in 34th.
"The ACSM American Fitness Index not only measures the state of health and fitness in our nation's largest communities, but evaluates the infrastructure, community assets, policies and opportunities which encourage residents to live a healthy and fit lifestyle," the index's Advisory Board Chair Walt Thompson said in a prepared statement.
"I liken the data report and rankings to the metro areas 'getting a physical' at the doctor's office," Thompson said. "The information learned from the physical will help each metro area identify areas of strength and weakness."
