What's Good
- Mayor Tom Barrett sets a positive example, exercising as much as 5 days per week.
- Barrett also participates in more fitness-related events than most mayors.
- Wisconsin state law limits or prohibits obesity-related lawsuits against food manufacturers and restaurants.
- The CDC says 81 percent of adults are physically active, at least to the point where they're not putting their health at risk. That's the 10th best score of any city in our survey. The national average for our survey was 76.35 percent.
- The local commute is much easier than in most cities - 51 percent less oppressive than average, leaving more time to exercise and prepare healthy meals. Commuter stress may also raise levels of cortisol, a hormone linked to weight gain and other health problems.
- Milwaukee's park acreage per capita is 64 percent higher than average and the 8th highest in our survey. Research has found a connection between access to parks and green space and reduced obesity rates.
- Milwaukee residents participate in sports much more than average - 27 percent more than average, in fact.
- Wisconsin is one of 28 states that participates in a CDC-sponsored program to reduce obesity and other chronic diseases.
- Milwaukee residents are slightly more likely than average to actually use their gym or health-club memberships, according to our comparison of membership trends and club use, including machine use, exercising with weights, cardio classes, yoga and martial arts, among others.
- Milwaukee gained points in our Motivation category for high participation rates in running, biking and walking despite a relatively immoderate climate.
- Donuts are 61 percent less popular here than average, according to a comparison of places that sell the fat-fried, sugar-coated breakfast food. Milwaukee has the 10th lowest number of donut shops per capita in our survey.
- Golfers can choose from 15 public courses. Relative to population, that's more than almost anywhere else we surveyed.
- Feel like hitting the public pool for a morning swim? You'll have better luck finding an open lane here than in most cities. Milwaukee has one pool for every 13,031 residents - 73 percent less crowded than average in our survey.
- Residents of Milwaukee are 145 percent more likely than average to play beach volleyball - the highest participation rate in our survey.
- Boardsailing is huge for Milwaukee residents. Locals are 76 percent more likely than average to board sail - the 2nd highest participation rate of any city in our survey.
- Milwaukee residents are 334 percent more likely than average to go cross-country skiing. That's the 2nd highest rate in our survey.
- Approximately 16 percent of Milwaukee residents play golf. That's 62 percent more than average and the 2nd highest rate in our survey.
- Milwaukee residents are 21 percent more likely than average to go for a walk, the 2nd highest rate of any city in our survey.
- Milwaukee residents are 77 percent more likely than average to play table tennis - the highest rate in our survey.
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What Isn't
- It rains 125 days per year in Milwaukee, discouraging outdoor exercise. That's the 9th highest number of rainy days in our survey.
- On any given day in Milwaukee, there's a 10 percent less than average probability of sunshine compared to other cities surveyed.
- Milwaukee's climate makes it relatively difficult to get out and be active. In a comparison of sunny days, moderate temperatures and humidity, we ranked it 4th worst of all cities.
- The number of heavy drinkers here is high: Milwaukee has 24 percent more than average and the, 3rd highest in our survey.
- Binge drinking is more common here than most other places. In a national survey 20 percent of residents admitted they'd had five or more drinks at a sitting over the past 30 days. The average among cities in our survey is 14.74 percent.
- Prefer to lift weights 12 ounces at a time? You'll fit in better in Milwaukee than in most places. Per capita, there are 255 percent more bars here than the national average in our survey.
- Milwaukee residents are 63 percent less likely than average to use rowing machines. That's the lowest rate in our survey.
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