Fresno has achieved a bronze medal in the **CityHealth 2025 Policy Assessment**, solidifying its position among the top cities in the United States for implementing evidence-based health policies. Released on March 15, 2025, the assessment evaluated the health policies of the nation’s **75 largest cities** across **12 key areas** aimed at enhancing community health and equity.
According to CityHealth, an initiative of the **de Beaumont Foundation** and **Kaiser Permanente**, Fresno earned individual medals in six of the twelve policy categories assessed. Cities that also received overall bronze status in California include **Anaheim**, **Irvine**, **Riverside**, and **Stockton**. Other cities nationwide that secured bronze medals include **Austin, Texas**, **Cincinnati, Ohio**, **Dallas**, **Houston**, **Fort Worth**, **Detroit**, and **Henderson, Nevada**.
Fresno received **silver medals** for its policies on complete streets and earned sick leave. The city’s complete streets policy was highlighted for its requirement of compliance and its effort to balance multiple transportation modes. However, it did not meet the gold-level criteria concerning equity measures and community engagement plans. In terms of earned sick leave, Fresno benefits from California’s state law mandating that all employers provide paid sick time. This policy allows employees to use up to **40 hours** of leave annually for family care and domestic violence recovery, which is **eight hours short** of the gold standard.
In addition to its silver medals, Fresno earned bronze in four other areas: flavored tobacco restrictions, greenspace, high-quality accessible pre-K, and safer alcohol sales. The city’s flavored tobacco policy prohibits the sale of at least one category of flavored tobacco products without penalties for youth. For greenspace, Fresno was recognized for setting specific measurable targets related to park access and tree canopy goals.
Despite these achievements, Fresno did not receive medals in five policy areas, which included affordable housing trusts, eco-friendly purchasing, healthy food purchasing, healthy rental housing, and legal support for renters. The city was also unrecognized in the category of smoke-free indoor air, even though some smoking restrictions are currently in place.
Nationally, CityHealth awarded a total of **51 cities** overall medals this year, with **eight earning gold**, **26 earning silver**, and **17 earning bronze**. Notably, **Chicago** achieved gold status for the first time. The assessment indicates that approximately **47.6 million Americans** now reside in cities that have earned overall medals, reflecting an increase of nearly **4 million** since 2024.
The evaluation was conducted in partnership with the **Center for Public Health Law Research** at **Temple University’s Beasley School of Law**. Cities are awarded individual medals when their policies meet established criteria across various categories, including housing, transportation, health care access, and environmental health. This recognition underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive health policies that contribute to the well-being of communities across the nation.
