Austin ranked in top 10 best cities for keeping New Years resolutions

Republished with permission from WalletHub

It’s easy to make New Year’s resolutions. The hard part is keeping them. But before you blame yourself entirely for your previous lack of success, consider this: Your location may be setting you up for failure.

If you live in a neighborhood with no sidewalks or fitness centers nearby, for example, you may not feel as encouraged to exercise. The same goes if most of your restaurant options are limited to fast food – you may be less likely to eat healthy.

These might sound like excuses to the boldest resolvers, but they genuinely can get in the way of self-improvement. That’s especially true if your motivation is low to begin with. Plus, with the COVID-19 pandemic throwing life out of sync and closing down or limiting the capacity of many public spaces, meeting New Year’s resolutions will likely be even harder than usual. To stick with the example of getting fit, the pandemic might cut off access to local gyms and lead to too much financial hardship for a person to buy home fitness equipment.

More than 7 in 10 people admit they have failed to uphold their New Year’s resolutions in the past, according to a recent WalletHub survey, but there’s no reason not to try again. As we set our goals for 2022, some of the biggest financial resolutions you might want to consider include paying off some of your credit card debt, adding to your emergency fund and paying bills immediately after getting a paycheck.

To determine where Americans are most likely to stick to their goals for 2022, WalletHub considered some of the most popular (and most commonly broken) resolutions to rank more than 180 U.S. cities based on their conduciveness to self-improvement. In each city, we looked at a total of 57 key metrics, ranging from exercise opportunities to income growth to employment outlook.

 

Best Cities for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

 

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Health Resolutions	Financial Resolutions	School & Work Resolutions	Bad-Habit Resolutions	Relationship Resolutions
1	Scottsdale, AZ	65.73	6	6	1	25	28
2	Seattle, WA	65.64	14	5	71	14	3
3	San Francisco, CA	65.54	7	25	94	62	1
4	Irvine, CA	64.94	1	40	3	5	56
5	San Diego, CA	63.98	4	90	63	17	6
6	Salt Lake City, UT	63.58	24	44	13	16	14
7	Overland Park, KS	63.35	50	1	2	7	79
8	Plano, TX	63.31	21	4	5	6	60
9	Fremont, CA	63.19	5	2	62	4	83
10	Austin, TX	62.43	51	46	17	24	10
11	Atlanta, GA	61.93	61	54	8	28	11
12	San Jose, CA	61.88	20	11	107	2	41
13	Columbia, MD	61.88	31	3	69	1	107
14	Raleigh, NC	61.38	27	20	65	12	29
15	Huntington Beach, CA	60.95	2	88	11	15	85
16	Madison, WI	60.73	70	7	68	8	32
17	Orlando, FL	60.69	45	97	6	80	13
18	Portland, OR	60.44	17	22	122	136	4
19	Virginia Beach, VA	60.30	35	39	18	44	31
20	Chandler, AZ	60.19	11	14	29	37	69
21	Tampa, FL	59.69	30	92	24	75	21
22	Tempe, AZ	59.61	9	79	57	49	33
23	Minneapolis, MN	59.33	64	10	146	40	16
24	Charlotte, NC	59.11	53	37	47	55	27
25	Honolulu, HI	59.07	28	155	87	42	7
26	Boise, ID	58.95	44	58	12	57	43
27	Las Vegas, NV	58.70	10	123	105	164	2
28	Gilbert, AZ	58.43	13	15	10	36	113
29	Portland, ME	57.61	40	13	113	91	49
30	St. Petersburg, FL	57.45	16	68	23	130	51
31	Omaha, NE	57.32	79	8	82	84	39
32	Lincoln, NE	57.20	89	17	58	38	50
33	Denver, CO	57.18	26	61	158	146	8
34	Charleston, SC	57.10	80	86	27	82	25
35	Pittsburgh, PA	56.76	62	21	97	161	15
36	Fargo, ND	56.59	87	66	89	13	54
37	Chicago, IL	56.54	88	23	166	119	5
38	Washington, DC	56.53	49	64	168	111	9
39	South Burlington, VT	56.37	25	36	9	29	159
40	Durham, NC	56.27	73	59	44	20	81
41	Los Angeles, CA	56.11	42	158	136	63	17
42	Fort Lauderdale, FL	55.99	18	151	76	73	48
43	Phoenix, AZ	55.61	68	43	78	70	55
44	Peoria, AZ	55.58	58	33	19	51	122
45	Sacramento, CA	55.41	55	81	110	88	38
46	Cedar Rapids, IA	55.39	122	9	103	9	104
47	Colorado Springs, CO	55.28	43	106	92	78	52
48	Chesapeake, VA	55.26	110	53	37	35	63
49	Houston, TX	55.19	96	67	126	83	22
50	Pembroke Pines, FL	55.13	29	118	16	39	127
51	Sioux Falls, SD	55.10	119	55	67	10	86
52	Albuquerque, NM	54.98	60	60	150	86	37
53	Miami, FL	54.91	39	181	30	46	26
54	Santa Clarita, CA	54.77	19	113	72	41	115
55	Spokane, WA	54.51	57	101	35	97	77
56	West Valley City, UT	54.32	98	35	21	34	135
57	Nashua, NH	54.31	66	18	79	90	99
58	Boston, MA	54.26	52	111	161	131	18
59	Vancouver, WA	54.15	36	57	139	47	111
60	Dallas, TX	54.12	95	126	56	74	40
61	Oceanside, CA	54.11	3	144	147	26	134
62	San Antonio, TX	53.99	109	130	45	87	34
63	Warwick, RI	53.90	67	12	40	115	136
64	Grand Rapids, MI	53.88	83	42	114	43	89
65	Henderson, NV	53.84	33	48	26	153	90
66	Reno, NV	53.83	46	137	34	160	46
67	Jacksonville, FL	53.82	93	94	31	154	36
68	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	53.73	71	78	15	69	126
69	Garden Grove, CA	53.69	38	145	75	23	116
70	Santa Rosa, CA	53.61	8	115	134	31	152
71	Fort Worth, TX	53.59	126	69	42	58	68
72	Mesa, AZ	53.47	41	65	53	71	123
73	Glendale, AZ	53.46	59	122	85	77	70
74	Juneau, AK	53.34	63	50	25	107	138
75	Burlington, VT	53.27	32	117	142	56	97
76	Chula Vista, CA	53.26	15	120	144	18	120
77	Bismarck, ND	53.23	117	27	96	22	119
78	Rapid City, SD	53.09	118	91	77	27	87
79	Tucson, AZ	52.84	54	135	137	100	53
80	Kansas City, MO	52.83	160	34	81	121	35
81	Pearl City, HI	52.81	34	102	46	48	163
82	New York, NY	52.76	76	166	178	30	20
83	Lexington-Fayette, KY	52.73	92	30	109	140	57
84	Cincinnati, OH	52.68	115	89	130	157	19
85	Des Moines, IA	52.64	147	24	93	45	75
86	St. Paul, MN	52.54	82	28	170	72	65
87	Oakland, CA	52.43	37	114	159	19	106
88	Anchorage, AK	52.40	97	38	123	110	74
89	Columbus, OH	52.31	148	26	140	125	30
90	Huntsville, AL	52.28	146	31	20	93	101
91	St. Louis, MO	52.25	72	77	118	179	23
92	Oklahoma City, OK	52.07	143	19	104	113	58
93	Anaheim, CA	52.05	23	172	128	21	112
94	Cape Coral, FL	52.05	77	73	22	96	153
95	Nashville, TN	51.96	125	80	98	168	24
96	Arlington, TX	51.89	121	84	43	67	94
97	Tacoma, WA	51.72	94	51	135	120	78
98	Aurora, CO	51.67	47	103	156	66	98
99	El Paso, TX	51.65	112	124	115	61	66
100	Glendale, CA	51.57	12	165	132	50	149
101	Irving, TX	51.51	99	76	32	102	114
102	Cheyenne, WY	51.30	135	47	66	60	133
103	Billings, MT	51.28	120	32	80	128	100
104	Greensboro, NC	51.26	102	100	52	104	95
105	Modesto, CA	51.18	48	56	95	122	157
106	Aurora, IL	51.18	132	29	131	32	124
107	Long Beach, CA	50.70	22	174	133	64	109
108	Milwaukee, WI	50.64	128	74	152	126	47
109	Louisville, KY	50.51	124	41	120	171	44
110	Columbia, SC	50.30	136	141	86	98	61
111	Tallahassee, FL	50.25	133	171	91	65	59
112	Yonkers, NY	50.10	78	116	177	3	158
113	Tulsa, OK	50.06	159	85	54	109	80
114	Missoula, MT	49.96	56	170	116	137	73
115	Port St. Lucie, FL	49.88	114	93	28	76	169
116	Bakersfield, CA	49.76	90	70	121	117	117
117	Manchester, NH	49.68	86	75	141	114	130
118	Jersey City, NJ	49.43	69	83	175	53	125
119	Amarillo, TX	49.40	141	95	14	132	129
120	Rochester, NY	49.40	113	133	167	81	71
121	Knoxville, TN	49.31	106	164	39	175	42
122	Riverside, CA	49.31	91	143	60	85	132
123	Indianapolis, IN	49.22	130	49	151	149	67
124	Providence, RI	49.12	101	142	106	143	84
125	Grand Prairie, TX	48.90	163	72	41	94	143
126	Buffalo, NY	48.78	111	82	173	118	76
127	Fresno, CA	48.77	85	121	74	124	139
128	Garland, TX	48.73	123	62	55	89	156
129	Casper, WY	48.37	134	52	124	103	155
130	Worcester, MA	48.32	105	119	163	105	102
131	Springfield, MO	48.26	127	149	61	148	93
132	Fort Wayne, IN	47.93	167	45	48	106	145
133	Chattanooga, TN	47.73	138	108	59	163	96
134	Santa Ana, CA	47.67	75	177	102	33	161
135	Lubbock, TX	47.48	153	146	38	139	108
136	Nampa, ID	47.33	152	140	70	79	150
137	Wichita, KS	47.33	170	16	117	135	121
138	Fort Smith, AR	47.31	129	99	7	165	162
139	Philadelphia, PA	47.24	81	63	180	180	45
140	Oxnard, CA	47.18	65	154	169	59	178
141	Salem, OR	47.08	131	109	90	145	144
142	Wilmington, DE	47.03	107	128	164	133	110
143	Norfolk, VA	46.99	161	159	125	127	72
144	Corpus Christi, TX	46.78	162	127	83	150	91
145	Cleveland, OH	46.58	149	96	145	174	64
146	New Orleans, LA	46.58	140	179	165	173	12
147	Fontana, CA	46.28	151	147	112	92	147
148	Richmond, VA	45.90	104	152	155	152	105
149	Las Cruces, NM	45.83	155	167	154	68	137
150	Newport News, VA	45.82	150	139	100	123	148
151	Mobile, AL	45.80	154	132	99	151	128
152	Winston-Salem, NC	45.78	168	98	64	142	140
153	Birmingham, AL	45.70	165	163	73	162	82
154	Stockton, CA	45.66	84	125	153	116	170
155	Bridgeport, CT	45.64	74	153	181	11	182
156	Akron, OH	45.57	157	105	148	138	131
157	New Haven, CT	45.46	139	162	174	54	142
158	Baltimore, MD	45.42	108	87	176	181	62
159	Little Rock, AR	45.24	144	112	101	155	154
160	Laredo, TX	45.03	179	107	4	101	168
161	Ontario, CA	44.89	145	169	84	99	165
162	Columbus, GA	44.87	164	136	33	141	176
163	Moreno Valley, CA	44.38	158	150	111	95	173
164	Baton Rouge, LA	43.91	156	156	172	158	88
165	North Las Vegas, NV	43.70	100	148	157	167	146
166	Lewiston, ME	43.65	137	71	138	172	172
167	Dover, DE	42.78	174	157	108	108	180
168	Toledo, OH	42.60	142	104	171	178	118
169	Memphis, TN	42.28	173	161	160	166	92
170	Hialeah, FL	42.24	103	182	127	52	181
171	Brownsville, TX	42.18	182	138	36	112	177
172	Charleston, WV	41.96	175	110	51	176	166
173	Fayetteville, NC	41.81	169	173	129	147	151
174	Montgomery, AL	41.76	178	129	119	144	164
175	San Bernardino, CA	40.82	166	175	149	129	174
176	Jackson, MS	40.36	180	134	143	134	160
177	Augusta, GA	40.13	176	160	88	170	167
178	Detroit, MI	39.91	171	131	179	177	103
178	Huntington, WV	39.91	172	168	49	182	141
180	Shreveport, LA	37.64	177	176	162	156	179
181	Gulfport, MS	37.00	181	178	50	169	175
182	Newark, NJ	36.29	116	180	182	159	171

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.