Marian Study: Indianapolis Among Top 20 Places To Catch Flu

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STATEWIDE — Location matters during flu season, at least that’s what a new study has found.

Researchers at Marian University in Indianapolis ranked 100 cities in the U.S. where people are most and least likely to get sick. The cities were ranked based on factors that cause winter illnesses including temperature, air quality, and population.

The city in the U.S. you’re least likely to get sick in is Wilmington, North Carolina.

The city where you’re most likely to get sick is Bakersfield, California, which has low flu vaccination rates.

The city also has a high number of adults reporting poor or fair health and frequent physical distress, both of which can be indicators of weakened immune systems and higher vulnerability to infections,” researchers said.

Indianapolis was ranked 18th on the list.

“While Indianapolis enjoys the benefit of a low population density that can reduce the spread of colds, its air quality pushes it higher up in the rankings,” researchers said in the study.

Indianapolis was the only city from Indiana to make the top 100.