If you’re a resident of State College, it will likely come as no surprise that the borough has been ranked the eighth most fitness-friendly city in the nation.
The ranking was based on a study by SmartAsset and published through the Huffington Post this week.
Cities were awarded an index score based on five categories: percentage of commuters who walk or bike, concentration of fitness professionals, concentration of fitness businesses, fast food ratio, and hourly rate for personal trainers.
‘Home to Penn State University, State College is a place that loves athletics,’ the HuffPost article said. ‘The University has won 46 team national championships during its history, including 12 men’s gymnastics championships and 7 women’s volleyball championships.’
‘While not everyone in Happy Valley is a champion gymnast, the city still has a large population of fitness experts,’ the article added. ‘State College ranked 21st in our study for its concentration of fitness professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 220 fitness trainers and aerobics instructors working in State College.’
The data found that 11 percent of commuters in State College get to work by walking or pedaling. State College boasts 37.5 fitness professionals — jobs like nutritionist and aerobic instructor — per 10,000 people and 86.1 fitness businesses — establishments like sporting goods stores and gyms — per 10,000 businesses.
State College came in fairly high in fast food ratio with 43 percent of restaurants being fast food establishments. However, the average hourly rate for personal trainers in the borough is just $13.58, one of the lowest numbers on the list.
The cities that ranked above State College from first to seventh are Missoula, Mont.; Boulder, Colo.; Corvallis, Ore.; Bend, Ore.; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Madison, Wis.; and Bellingham, Wash.
