Highest barrier score
Fort Worth, TXScores 80.02 out of 100. Higher scores show stronger combined barriers to staying active.Fitness barrier index
The US cities where finding time to exercise is hardest.
Bespoke Fit analysed 50 major US cities to reveal where long commutes, working hours, early starts, poor sleep and limited park access create the greatest barriers to staying active.
Key findings
Joint second
Houston + JacksonvilleBoth score 80.00, showing almost identical pressure across the five measures.Lowest barrier score
Minneapolis, MNScores 7.74 out of 100. Lower scores indicate fewer everyday barriers to exercise.Cities analysed
50Compared across commute, working hours, sleep, early starts and access to parks.Rankings
Where everyday life creates the biggest barriers to staying active.
The Fitness Barrier Score combines five equally weighted measures: commute time, working hours, insufficient sleep, early commuting and access to parks. A higher score indicates stronger conditions associated with having less time or opportunity to exercise. Use the control below to explore the overall ranking or one measure at a time.
Top 10 by overall score
Higher score means greater barriersFull ranking
All 50 cities, every measure.
The table opens in overall Fitness Barrier Score order. Search for a city or sort any column to examine the five measures behind each result.
Weekly workout window calculator
How much space does your week leave for exercise?
Build a rough picture of your week to see how much flexible time remains after sleep, work, commuting and essential commitments. Then test whether your preferred workout plan fits that time.
This is a planning guide, not a personal Fitness Barrier Score or health recommendation. It applies the study's time-based themes to your own routine.
Estimated flexible time49.5 hrs
Comfortable fit
SleepWork or studyCommuteEssentialsFlexible
Your workout plan1.5 hrs/week
Share of flexible time3%
Your target should fit comfortably within the flexible time you described.
Your practical starting point
Schedule the three sessions before the week starts so flexible time does not get absorbed by other demands.
Compare cities
Put three routines side by side.
Choose up to three cities to compare the same five conditions and the overall Fitness Barrier Score.
Live, every rep.
When time is limited, coaching should fit around real life.
Bespoke Fit gives members live 1-on-1 video personal training with a real coach watching every rep, every session, whether they train at home, in a gym or on the road.
Explore live coachingMethodology
What this study measured.
This study compares conditions associated with having limited time and opportunity for exercise. It is not a direct measure of residents' free time, fitness levels or exercise participation.
Five equally weighted metrics
Average commute
20%Average travel time to work in minutes.
Working hours
20%Average hours worked per week.
Insufficient sleep
20%Adults sleeping fewer than seven hours per night.
Early commuting
20%Workers leaving for work before 6:30am.
Park access
20%Residents within a 10-minute walk of a park, reverse-scored.
Five percentile scores×20% each=Fitness Barrier Score / 100
How cities were ranked
Higher values received higher barrier percentiles for commute, working hours, insufficient sleep and early commuting. Park access was reverse-scored, so lower access received a higher barrier percentile. The weighted percentile values were combined and multiplied by 100.
Scope and sources
The ranking covers 50 of the most populous US cities with sufficient data. Indianapolis and Columbus were removed because of limited data and replaced with Arlington and Wichita. Sources include the US Census Bureau, Trust for Public Land and CDC PLACES. The latest available release was used for each metric, so reference years differ.