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Have you decided what your New Year’s Resolution is yet? Is 2014 going to be the year you finally lose the beer belly or add some money to your savings account? Despite the fact over 40% of Americans reportedly make New Year’s resolutions, University of Scranton research suggests that only about 8% of people actually achieve their goals. However, before tucking back into that Ben & Jerry’s tub of “Scotchy Scotch Scotch” consider how serious you are about these resolutions. Also consider if making “move to a new city” one of them, because where you live can have a big effect on everything from your wallet to your waistline. Click through for our selection of the best and worst cities for sticking to your New Year’s resolutions.
Best City for Saving Money
City: Omaha, Neb.
Most telling stat: Cost of living is 12.3% lower than the national average
Bizarre trivia: The city has 155 public (meaning free!) museums and libraries nearby. The U.S. average is 56.
Runner-up: Harlingen, Texas
If you're hoping that 2014 is the year that there's more than $5 in your savings account, it could be time to relocate to Omaha. Named the "best city for cheapskates" by financial website Kiplinger, the cost of living is 12.3% lower than the national average. Additionally average apartment rent runs around $740 a month and 11 Dollar General stores within 10 miles of downtown. And before you start complaining about Nebraska, just remember that if it's good enough for America's most frugal billionaire Warren Buffet, it's good enough for you. Special props also go to Harlingen for being ranked as America's cheapest place to live thanks to its prices of ground beef, movie tickets, and of course housing, utilities and health care.
Worst City for Saving Money
City: New York
Most telling stat: Scores 225.4 on the ACCRA Cost of Living Index, more than twice the national average.
Bizarre trivia: The average cost of a haircut is $22.21, higher than any other city (despite still sounding incredibly cheap to most New Yorkers)
Runner-up: Houston
There are a lot of reasons to love New York, but the cost of living is not one of them. This year Business Insider calculated the obvious, noting that Manhattan's Cost of Living Index strikes in at 225.4 (100 is the national average). Additionally, they point out that the city is home to the country's most expensive T-bone steaks ($15.52) and haircuts ($22.21), and the most depressing part of this is that those numbers actually sound shockingly low to your average Manhattanite. As for our runner-up, although Houston was ranked as America's best city for shopping by Forbes thanks to its high number of retail locations, malls, low sales tax and, yes, number of Walmarts, everyone knows that sales can be especially dangerous.
Best City to Quit Smoking
City: Provo, Utah
Most telling stat: Only 5.8% of adults are smokers
Bizarre trivia: Utah's current smoking age is 19 but will likely be raised to 21 in 2014
Runner-up: New York
According to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Provo-Orem Utah has the lowest percentage of adults who smoke—over 2% less than the next metropolitan areas. While it's no surprise that Utah may be a big destination for those looking to kick their vices, don't lay all the praise or blame on the law. Cigarettes are still relatively cheap (around $6.64 per a pack) and its smoking bans in public area are not necessarily more stringent than the rest of the country, unlike runner-up New York, where the smoking age was just raised to 21 and a pack of Marlboro Reds will set you back almost $15.
Worst City to Quit Smoking
City: Louisville, Ky.
Most telling stat: 25.4% of adults are smokers
Bizarre trivia: A pack of Marlboro Reds only $4.96 in Kentucky, and that price has dropped 24% since last 2012
Runner-up: Miami
If you're trying to a quit a bourbon-and-cigarettes-type of bad habit, Louisville—or anywhere in Kentucky—is not for you. Using consumer-behavior data from Experian Simmons, The Daily Beast discovered that 25.4% of the city's adults are smokers, averaging over 16 cigarettes per a day. Additionally a large number of them have tried to quit with gum (31.9%) or the patch (35.6%) with no success. And with the price of a pack of Marlboro Reds dropping to $4.96 this year, it can be especially difficult to kick a habit that's not taking a toll on your wallet. Or, on your social life if we're talking about Miami, our runner-up, where you're still allowed to smoke in clubs.
Best City for Finding a Girlfriend
City: Washington D.C.
Most telling stat: 5 extra single women per 1000 singles
Bizarre trivia: Single women in D.C. are also the country's happiest, according to a joint survey between Glamour and Match.com
Runner-up: Duhram, N.C.
Sure, you may have heard that Washington D.C. doesn't have the prettiest singles in the bunch, but let's be real: the girl you're going to take home to Mom doesn't have to look like a super model. It turns out our nation's capital does score highest among all states on the Pew Research Center's Report "Marriage and Divorce: A 50 State Tour" for its share of educated singles that marry later in life and experience fewer divorce rates than the national average. Additionally in a joint survey conducted by Glamour Magazine and Match.com, single women in D.C. are apparently the nation's happiest, so don't worry about being stuck on a date with any overworked, marriage-hungry or resentful gals. Durham also gets a special shout out for its high number of single Southern Belles in their twenties.
Worst City for Finding a Girlfriend
City: Bakersfield, Calif.
Most telling stat: 25 more single men per 1000 singles
Bizarre trivia: According to Men's Health, Bakersfield tops this year's list of America's "drunkest cities," so good luck if you weren't planning on meeting your future wife at a bar.
Runner-up: Philadelphia
Numbers don't lie and they're here to tell you your chances of meeting a girl in Bakersfield are extremely slim. The city has 25 more men per 1000 singles, significantly more than any other U.S. town. Though we're not entirely sure why that's the case (although maybe the annual March Meet nostalgia drag racing event has something to do with it), the fact that Bakersfield was named this year's drunkest city in America by Men's Health should also be enough to keep you away. After all, there's nothing more disappointing than a drunk sausage fest at the bar. We'd also urge you to stay away from Philadelphia, which was ranked dead last in the 'attractive people' category in Travel + Leisure's "America's Favorite Cities" survey three years in a row. Ouch.
Best City for Dropping 20 Pounds
City: San Francisco
Most telling stat: No. 1 destination for healthy food options
Bizarre trivia: It costs an average of $375 a month for parking, which could explain why so many residents walk or bike to work
Runner-up: Minneapolis-St.Paul
Sometimes a new town can give you a renewed kick in the pants to lose your gut—specifically San Francisco. Real estate website Trulia recently evaluated America's largest cities in five categories they deemed essential for weight loss success: access to healthy food options, number of people who walk or bike to work, number of gyms in the area, number of sporting goods stores and number of weight loss centers. It turns out San Francisco takes the top honor—all those hills have to account for something! Plus with access to so many great outdoor activities and mild weather year round, residents have no excuse to stay cooped up on the couch eating pizza and watching Family Feud all day. We also have to give some credit to the Twin Cities for having the highest number of gyms per million people in the area—73.8 for a total of 242, making it easy for residents to get some exercise without risking frost bite on January jog through town.
Worst City for Dropping 20 Pounds
City: Orlando, Fla.
Most telling stat: There are 463 fast food restaurants—more than any other city
Bizarre trivia: Orlando beats famous pizza cities like New York and Chicago for having the most pizza parlors per capita
Runner-up: New Orleans
Is it really a surprise that the theme-park capital of the world also contains more fast food restaurants per 100,000 residents than any other city in the U.S.? With the help of data collector AggData, the Daily Beast determined that Orlando has more McDonald's, Burger Kings and KFC's than any other large US city, 463 in total, not to mention it also has the most pizza parlors—an honor for which New York and Chicago didn't even break the top ten! The findings do seem to make sense given the fact that the city is a high tourism destination for families who end up giving into their kids' cries for chicken nuggets and want to finish a meal quickly to hit the next ride, but does moving to Orlando to help kick start your 2014 diet make any sense? The answer is a resounding "no." As for New Orleans, Travel & Leisure voted the Big Easy as the top city for foodies. With all the incredible ethnic food and fine-dining options (and thanks to this season of Top Chef), this town will make it easy for you to put on another 20.
Best City for Cutting Down on Booze
City: Salt Lake City
Most telling stat: Utah consumes 20.2 gallons of beer per capita, less than any other state
Bizarre trivia: Serving a double is illegal
Runner-up: New York
With such a large Mormon population, it's no surprise that Utah has always had over-the-top liquor laws. Until 2009 it was actually illegal to enter a bar without a state-licensed membership. These days there are still plenty of weird rules that can make it easy to avoid a hangover. In 2011, a law took effect banning drinks specials (bye, bye happy hour!). It's illegal to serve doubles or stiffen drinks to the point where they exceed 2.5 ounces of liquor. Restaurants are not allowed to serve customers drinks unless they order food. Putting all the rules aside, though, chances are a move to Salt Lake would simply instigate your desire for healthy lifestyle, given how many hiking and skiing options there are nearby. We also give a special shout-out to NYC, which despite being a big drinking town (or because of?) also has the most AA meetings in the world—4,000 a week.
Worst City for Cutting Down on Booze
City: Boston, Mass.
Most telling stat: 20.1% of adults are classified as binge drinkers
Bizarre trivia: The city has 946 sports bars listed on Yelp
Runner-up: Portland, Ore.
For two years in a row, Beantown has had the dubious honor of being ranked America's drunkest city by the Daily Beast. Relying on data from Experian Marketing Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Boston earned the top spot due to the city's high number of binge drinkers. Additionally Bostonians consume about 15.6 alcoholic drinks a month and heavy drinkers make up 7.4 percent of the population. Plus as such a sports crazy town, you may find especially hard to refuse a beer every time your work buddies insist on going out to watch a Red Sox or Pats game. As for runner-up Portland, well, that's simply based on the assumption that in such a great beer city there's far too much temptation around to try to go cold turkey all together.