The 15 Best (and Worst) Cities for Sticking to New Year’s Resolutions

It’s the time of year when people around the world are working hard to stick to their New Year’s resolutions—or perhaps already throwing up their arms and calling it quits on their self-made promises to drop their bad habits (or pick up some better ones). 

As it turns out, where someone lives may impact their ability to follow their goals. There are places around the United States that make it far more (or far less) possible for residents to follow through on their New Year’s resolutions. WalletHub compared 182 cities across the country based on five key dimensions: health resolutions, financial resolutions, school and work resolutions, bad habit resolutions, and relationship resolutions. 

The organization then further divided those dimensions into weighted metrics, each graded on a 100-point scale. For example, “fitness centers per capita” was a metric for the success of health resolutions. They then took the weighted averages to create their comprehensive list. You can see which cities are the most—and least—conducive to sticking to New Year’s resolutions below.

The 15 Best U.S. Cities For Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

1. Seattle, Washington
2. San Francisco, California
3. Scottsdale, Arizona
4. Austin, Texas
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. Portland, Oregon
7. Orlando, Florida
8. San Diego, California
9. Irvine, California
10. Fremont, California
11. Salt Lake City, Utah
12. Plano, Texas
13. Overland Park, Kansas
14. Huntington Beach, California
15. San Jose, California

Seattle is the ultimate city for crushing New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s hitting the gym, eating healthier, or quitting bad habits, Seattle’s stats back it up: the city boasts the lowest percentage of physically inactive adults, the sixth-lowest obesity rate, and one of the highest rates of daily fruit consumption.

Runner-up is San Francisco. Financially, residents excel with the lowest median debt-to-income ratio and some of the highest earnings in the country, making it ideal for building wealth or pursuing personal goals. Health resolutions thrive here, too, with the second-lowest obesity rate and universal access to fitness locations.

The 15 Worst U.S. Cities For Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

1. Jackson, Mississippi
2. Newark, New Jersey
3. Gulfport, Mississippi
4. Shreveport, Louisiana
5. Memphis, Tennessee
6. Dover, Delaware
7. Augusta, Georgia
8. Detroit, Michigan
9. Huntington, West Virginia
10. North Las Vegas, Nevada
11. Little Rock, Arkansas
12. Toledo, Ohio
13. San Bernardino, California
14. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 
15. Fayetteville, North Carolina

Conversely, WalletHub found that Jackson, Mississippi, is the worst city in the U.S. when it comes to keeping your resolutions. For starters, they have less-than-stellar education, with some of the lowest percentages of schools rated above average by GreatSchools. It also has some of the highest rates of adult obesity in the country.

Next up is Newark, New Jersey. In terms of financial prospects, this city has some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, alongside some of the lowest median annual incomes, so hitting those savings goals may prove more difficult. Health resolutions might also be hard to keep here, with some of the lowest rates of regularly-exercising adults. 

Living in a city where the odds are stacked against you can be tough—here are 10 scientific tips that’ll help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions.

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