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Seattle ranks best city for keeping New Year's resolutions

By Stephanie Weaver
Published  January 6, 2025 6:53pm PST
Lifestyle
FOX TV Digital Team

New Year's resolution do's and don'ts

For many people, the new year brings new opportunities for change and growth. Grow Therapy is a website that connects therapists with clients, and they're putting extra focus on people's New Year's resolutions - specifically how to make a smart one that's actually achievable. Stacy Thiry, a license mental health therapist for Grow Therapy joins LiveNOW's Austin Westfall with insight on how to do so.

The Brief

    • A new WalletHub study ranked U.S. cities on how conducive they were to keeping New Year's resolutions, considering factors like exercise, income growth and employment.
    • Seattle topped the list, due to residents' health and financial success, showing low rates of inactivity, obesity, and smoking in the city.
    • Cities like San Francisco and Scottsdale also ranked high due to excellent opportunities for physical activity and career advancement, while Jackson, Mississippi and Newark, New Jersey ranked lowest.

If you’re having a hard time keeping your New Year’s resolution, a new study suggests you should consider this: Your location may be setting you up for failure.

Financial company WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 57 metrics to determine where Americans are most likely to stick to their goals for 2025.

The metrics ranged from exercise opportunities to income growth to the employment outlook.

"Everyone has probably failed to keep a New Year’s resolution at one point, whether it’s losing weight, spending less money, quitting a vice or keeping up with a new hobby," Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said in a statement. "Living in the right city can do wonders for resolutions, though. For example, cities with good access to healthy food and exercise opportunities can make it much easier for people to improve their health. Cities with strong economies and good job markets can expedite finding a better career or improving your income. Finding out what your city excels in can help you set an achievable goal."

Seattle is best city for keeping New Year’s resolutions

The study found that Seattle is the best city for keeping New Year's resolutions, particularly those related to a person’s physical well-being. 

The findings revealed that Seattle has the lowest percentage of physically inactive adults, at less than 13%, along with the sixth-lowest obesity rate in the country. 

Top New Year's resolutions for 2025

As 2024 comes to an end, many are already thinking about their New Year's resolutions. LiveNOW from FOX host Jeane Franseen spoke to Lisa Miller, consumer strategist on popular resolutions.

The city also has the seventh-lowest percentage of adults who eat fruit less than once a day, too. 

These statistics indicate that Seattle residents have good access to healthy food and places to work out, which may help even more people meet their health-related resolutions.

Seattle also stood out for its financial resolutions. The city has the second-lowest percentage of people who were delinquent on their debt payments and residents had very low levels of debt relative to their income. 

Quitting smoking or other vices is another common New Year’s resolution, and Seattle has the lowest percentage of adults who smoke daily or on most days, the study revealed.

Top cities for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

  1. Seattle, WA
  2. San Francisco, CA
  3. Scottsdale, AZ
  4. Austin, TX
  5. Atlanta, GA
  6. Portland, OR
  7. Orlando, FL
  8. San Diego, CA
  9. Irvine, CA
  10. Fremont, CA

San Francisco, Scottsdale also rank high

San Francisco also ranked high among the best cities for keeping a New Year’s resolutions because residents have had a lot of success with their financial and health resolutions.

RELATED: New Year’s resolutions: Popular goals, expert tips, and why many fail to stick

Scottsdale, Arizona ranked as the third-best city for keeping New Year’s resolutions because of its opportunities for physical activity and career growth. Scottsdale boasts an extremely high number of fitness centers and weight loss centers per capita. As a result, it has the fourth-lowest percentage of adults who are physically inactive.

Worst cities for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

  1. Jackson, MS
  2. Newark, NJ
  3. Gulfport, MS
  4. Shreveport, LA
  5. Memphis, TN
  6. Dover, DE
  7. Augusta, GA
  8. Detroit, MI
  9. Huntington, WV
  10. North Las Vegas, NV

The Source

  • The information for this story was gathered by WalletHub, which compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across five key dimensions: 1) Health Resolutions, 2) Financial Resolutions, 3) School & Work Resolutions, 4) Bad-Habit Resolutions and 5) Relationship Resolutions. They they evaluated those dimensions using 57 relevant metrics. This story was reported from Los Angeles.

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