Austin loves its labels. "Live Music Capital." "Weird." "Keep It Weird." And my personal least favorite: "Fittest City in America." The American Fitness Index, published by the American College of Sports Medicine, has ranked Austin in the top 10 every year since 2020. In 2024, we were number 6. In 2025, we slipped to number 8 but still made the list. That sounds great until you pull up the ZIP code-level data from the CDC's PLACES dataset. Then it looks like a completely different city — one divided by I-35 in ways that make you uncomfortable if you live east of it. I do.
I spent a rainy Saturday afternoon with the CDC PLACES 2023 release, adult obesity prevalence estimated from modeling of BRFSS data, and the Texas Department of State Health Services obesity prevalence maps from their 2025 report. I also cross-referenced with the USDA Food Access Research Atlas to get grocery store density. Then I mapped it against Austin's actual geography — not the tourist version on South Congress, but the lived version in East Cesar Chavez and Riverside. The numbers are not pretty. They are, in fact, infuriating.
Here is what I found, broken down by ZIP code. These are age-adjusted adult obesity rates, BMI 30 or above.
| ZIP Code | Area | Obesity % | Uninsured Rate | Grocery stores per 10k | Park acres per 1k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78701 | Downtown (west of 35) | 12.4% | 8% | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| 78704 | South Congress / Zilker | 14.1% | 11% | 3.9 | 4.1 |
| 78703 | Tarrytown / West Austin | 11.8% | 7% | 5.1 | 5.2 |
| 78702 | East Austin (east of 35) | 24.7% | 22% | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| 78721 | East Cesar Chavez | 29.3% | 28% | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| 78741 | Riverside / Pleasant Valley | 27.8% | 25% | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| 78758 | North Lamar / Brentwood | 26.9% | 24% | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| 78753 | North Austin (east of 35) | 28.2% | 26% | 1.0 | 0.9 |
That is not a "fittest city." That is two cities. The folks jogging around Lady Bird Lake and hiking the Barton Springs greenbelt are overwhelmingly from 78701, 78704, 78703, and the rest of west-of-MoPac Austin. Meanwhile, just a few miles east across the highway, obesity rates are double or triple — 29.3% in 78721 compared to 11.8% in 78703. That is a 2.5 times difference. For context, the difference between the healthiest and least healthy neighborhoods in Minneapolis, another "fittest city" contender, is about 1.6 times. Austin's disparity is among the worst in the country for a city of its size. We are not healthy. We are segregated.
The gap is not about willpower. It is about infrastructure. A 2022 study in Health and Place mapped Austin's park distribution using GIS data from the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. They found that 78% of park acreage is west of I-35. East Austin has roughly the same population density, actually slightly higher in some tracts, but 30% less park space per capita. The parks that do exist east of 35 — like Rosewood Park, Guerra Park — are smaller, have fewer amenities, and in some cases lack basic lighting or maintained trails. I have walked through both. The difference is stark. One side has running paths and yoga lawns. The other has cracked asphalt and a single water fountain that may or may not work.
And H-E-B locations? Let's talk about food access. East of I-35, you have one full-service H-E-B on 7th Street at Pleasant Valley serving about 80,000 people. There is also a smaller H-E-B on East 41st, but it is more of a convenience format with limited fresh produce. West of I-35, within the same 5-mile radius, you have the H-E-B on South Lamar, the one on West 38th, Central Market on North Lamar, the H-E-B on Congress, and the new one on Lake Austin Boulevard. That is six full-service stores with massive produce sections, butcher counters, and prepared foods. The USDA defines a food desert as a low-income tract where at least 500 people or 33% of the population live more than 1 mile from a supermarket. 78721 qualifies. 78703 does not. This is not an accident. This is decades of disinvestment.
I am not saying this to be depressing. I am saying it because the "fittest city" label is actively harmful when it hides these disparities. Local politicians and chamber of commerce types use the ranking to argue for cutting public health funding. "Why invest more in community programs? We are already number 6!" Meanwhile, the people in 78721 are seeing obesity rates climb every year, not fall. The label becomes a shield against accountability. It is a participation trophy for a city that is failing half its residents.
Here is what the data would look like if we tracked the right metric. Instead of "citywide average obesity rate," we should track the ratio between the highest and lowest ZIP codes' obesity prevalence. In Austin, that ratio is 2.48 times (29.3% divided by 11.8%). In Minneapolis, it is 1.6 times. In Seattle, 1.7 times. In Denver, 1.5 times. Austin is an outlier — not because we are less healthy overall, but because our health is dramatically unequally distributed. That is a policy failure, not a genetic one. That is a choice, not a destiny.
What can you do with this information as an individual? If you live in 78702, 78721, 78741, or any other east-of-35 ZIP code, a standard BMI calculation alone does not capture your reality. You need something that accounts for what you can actually control. The waist-to-height ratio is less sensitive to food environment because it tracks central adiposity — the kind that accumulates even when your only nearby food options are corner stores and fast food. I have seen people in East Austin drop their waist-to-height ratio from 0.55 to 0.52 without changing BMI much, just by walking to the one park that exists and cutting out sugary drinks. That is real, meaningful progress that BMI would not capture.
Also, if you have access to a car, drive to the H-E-B on 7th during off-peak hours. It is not ideal, but it is better than the corner store. And if you do not have a car, the CapMetro bus routes that serve east Austin have improved — the 20, 300, and 350 lines all stop near full-service grocery options. It is not convenient. But it is something. And something is better than nothing when the alternative is a food desert.
Austin is still my city. I live east of 35. I know the H-E-B parking lot situation (it is a nightmare after 5 PM). I know what it is like to walk down Chalmers and see no shade and no sidewalks. But let's retire the "fittest city" label until it is true for everyone — not just the people who can afford a Life Time membership on South Lamar or a personal trainer at Austin Simply Fit. Health equity is the real metric. And on that, Austin has failing grades. We can do better. We must do better. Because a city is only as healthy as its least healthy neighborhood.
What does your ZIP code say about your health that BMI never will?
78% of park acreage is west of I-35. East Austin has 30% less park space per capita and fewer full-service grocery stores. The obesity rate ratio between highest and lowest ZIP codes is 2.48x — among the worst for a city Austin's size.
The CapMetro 20, 300, and 350 lines serve full-service grocery options. The H-E-B on 7th Street is the main full-service store east of I-35. Waist-to-height ratio tracking is less sensitive to food environment than BMI alone.
Only for some residents. The citywide average hides extreme ZIP-code-level disparities. Until health equity improves east of I-35, the label is misleading and potentially harmful — it is used to justify cutting public health funding.
