With National Wellness Month around the corner, Hers surveyed residents across America to see how they rated themselves in youthfulness, body positivity, emotional stability, and more.
Short of surrounding ourselves with the red rocks of Sedona or the spiritual energy of Mount Shasta, we wondered if top ranking cities had any self-care shortcuts the rest of us can replicate in pursuit of wellness. Here are the cities that came out on top and what we can learn from each.
According to a 2024 Hers study, surveyed residents of Albuquerque, New Mexico, are the most likely of any metropolitan area in the U.S. to identify as "youthful." 74% describe themselves as youthful, compared to just 51% of Americans overall.
A good night's sleep may have something to do with it, with only 10% of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico's population describing themselves as tired, as compared to 16% of people across the country. What's more? Only 13% say that being too tired, or fatigued, is the reason they don't have more sex than they do, as compared to nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of U.S. residents overall.
Getting enough sleep may even help with weight management. 83% of Albuquerque and Santa Fe's population describes themselves as "healthy" vs. just 60% of the population overall.
Percentage of residents who identify as "youthful" (a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale)
Nearly half of surveyed Miami residents (48%) are satisfied with their bodies as compared to 32% of Americans overall. A similar 49% say their weight is in check vs. 31% of the country on average. And 65% describe themselves as "attractive" or "very attractive" as compared to 60% of the U.S. overall.
Furthermore, 70% of Miami respondents describe themselves as confident or very confident as compared to 63% of people overall, and 50% are self-described extroverts vs. 42% of others. Miami residents also over-index in feeling sexual, with 57% describing themselves as sexual or very sexual vs. 51% of the general population.
Percentage of residents who report being "satisfied" with their body (a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale)
Minneapolis ranked number 1 in emotional stability, with 74% of surveyed residents saying they were highly emotionally stable (a 5 on a 5-point scale) or emotionally stable (a 4 on a 5-point scale) as compared to just 59% of Americans overall. Notably, Minneapolis was among the top 5 cities (#4) to say that its mental health has changed for the better since the pandemic.
So what's this city's secret? Maybe having an open-mind has something to do with it. Minneapolis ranked number 2, right after Seattle, in "open-mindedness," with 83% giving themselves top marks (a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) vs. 72% of the rest of the country.
Percentage of residents who report being "emotionally stable" (a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale)
This study is based on a 5,504-person online survey, which included 5,000 18-to-65-year-old respondents in the top 50 metropolitan areas (100 respondents per city) and a nationally representative sample of 504 18-to-65-year-old respondents to contextualize results. The study was fielded in May 2024.
Findings were analyzed by more than 100 demographic and psychographic cuts, including city, region, gender (when we refer to "women" and "men," we include all people who self-identify as such), age, race and ethnicity, relationship status, parenting status, sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, asexual, queer, etc.), and political affiliation, among other areas of interest.
All data in this study are from this source, unless otherwise noted. Independent research firm, Culture Co-op, conducted and analyzed research and findings.
This story was produced by Hers and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.