Here’s where Tonal members are crushing workouts and earning the highest Strength Scores.
When you’re crushing workout after workout on Tonal, you’re not just building strength—you’re representing your hometown. Tonal members across the country have been racking up sweat sessions and helping their cities rise to the top among America’s Strongest Cities. But strength isn’t just about sheer power or the ability to lift heavy weight. It’s also about consistency and improvement over time, trying different workout modalities, learning from expert coaches, and supporting each other as part of a community.
To find America’s Strongest Cities, Tonal’s data scientists compiled anonymized Strength Scores—a measure of overall strength—from Tonal members across the country, looking at which cities had the highest median scores and what type of workout each location loved most. Only cities with more than 100 members were considered, and all data points were corrected to prevent skewing.
The results were compelling and surprising, painting a picture of the strongest cities all around America. Curious where your town ranks? Read on for some fascinating revelations, learn more about the Strength Score, and find the motivation you’ve been looking for to rev up your workouts.
The Bay Area Reigns Supreme in Strength
San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose: Come claim your crown. California’s Bay Area holds the title for strongest region with the highest median Strength Score of 448. The Bay Area is also the region where members sweat it out most to Tonal’s high-intensity interval training workouts, yoga, kickboxing, and Pilates sessions. But it’s not totally shocking—after all, Tonal was founded in San Francisco, and a 2021 report ranked the Bay Area as one of the healthiest areas in the country, with San Francisco landing the top spot. While that honor was based on a variety of factors including healthcare, food, fitness, and green spaces, the Strength Score is focused on some other specific measurements.
Strength Score, an exclusive Tonal metric, is a comprehensive measure that takes into account over 100 strength-training exercises. It estimates your one-rep max, a measure of your absolute strength, or the maximum amount of weight you can lift in one rep. Each body region (upper body, lower body, and core), has its own Strength Score, and the total score indicates overall strength over time.
By evaluating your performance from each workout, Tonal calculates your weighted Strength Score, giving extra importance to your most recent workouts. The more you use Tonal, the more accurate your score will be. And given the fact that men using Tonal typically have scores of 350 to 600, while typical scores for women range from 150 to 275, a Bay Area median score of 446 is pretty incredible.
Check out the full list of winners for America’s Strongest Cities, featuring 15 cities with the highest median Strength Score.
Seattle is a Strong Contender
It’s no secret that Seattle has a lot going for it, from world-class coffee, to endless photo ops at Pike Place Market, to bragging rights as the birthplace of grunge. But the city is also one of the healthiest places to live in the country, ranking just behind the Bay Area. Now, it has the distinction of being the second strongest spot overall for Tonal members, with a median score of 433. The Pacific Northwest destination is even considered one of the top cities for mental health, according to an analysis that took factors like physical activity, sleep. and the ratio of mental-health-care providers to residents into account.
Kansas City is No Fitness Underdog
With major metropolises such as Los Angeles and New York dominating so many lists of the nation’s top cities (Best restaurants! Best parks! Best place to own a pet!), Kansas City can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. But it’s the second strongest city among male Tonal users, with a median score of 594, and also third on the list for overall strength across genders, with a median Strength Score of 432. KC residents aren’t just lifting heavy weights, either— they’re also hitting the outdoor running and biking routes. It turns out the city has more than 72 trails covering 517 miles, not to mention 221 parks.
The Midwest Brings the Heat
America’s heartland has proven to be a powerhouse when it comes to strength. In addition to Kansas City’s rankings, a few other cities are showing up strong. Cleveland rocks as the strongest city for men, with a median Strength Score among this group hitting a whopping 599. Minneapolis ranks as the strongest city for women, with their median Strength Score landing at an impressive 283.5 (well above the average range for women generally). It’s no surprise that Minneapolis ranks so high, considering it came in second among America’s Fittest Cities in 2021. To round out the midwest set, the strong women of St. Louis grab third place, with a median Strength Score of 279.
Denver Goes the Extra Mile
The Mile High City is known for a lot of things: over 200 named mountain peaks, more than 20,000 acres of city parks, and it happens to be the fourth fittest city in the nation. It was also named one of the best places to live. But Denver is also the city where female Tonal members are getting after it, coming in just behind Minneapolis with a median Strength Score of 282 among women (well above the average range). Denver ladies continue to motivate all of us to keep lifting, squatting, and crunching toward greatness.
The Most Popular Workouts in Key Cities
In addition to strength training sessions, Tonal members are rounding out their workouts with a variety of modalities, with HIIT being the most popular. Here’s what Tonal’s data scientists found when they crunched the numbers:
- While Bay Area residents took the most HIIT classes per member, Los Angeles, Baltimore, New York, and San Diego rounded out the top five cities where members are pushing the intensity to the next level.
- Baltimore members take their recovery seriously, participating in more recovery sessions than any other city.
- Boston residents engaged in more mobility workouts and boxing workouts than any other city.
- San Antonio kept it chill, with members taking the most meditation sessions.
- Miami vibed out to more dance cardio classes per member than any other spot in the U.S..
Feeling Inspired?
There may be a multitude of factors influencing why certain cities rank strongest, fittest, or healthiest, but here’s an undeniable fact: You can improve your own well-being regardless of your geographic location.
While it’s true that some regions offer higher quality air, an abundance of outdoor spaces, and far more healthy food options than some of their counterparts, the decision to improve your health can start with you. Choosing small, actionable goals within your control can eventually add up to major gains.
Tonal is a convenient, efficient way to reach those goals from the comfort of your home. And as evidenced by this data and the cumulative power of the Strength Score itself, consistency and dedication go a long way in seeing results. By putting in the work now, you might just help your city rank among the strongest next year.
Additional reporting by Vidya Rao.
