In an effort to help communities improve the health of the locals, a report regarding the health of individual counties in the U.S. is released annually. The report provides a snapshot of how well communities are faring when it comes to health.
In the 2016 County Health Rankings released on Wednesday, several counties across the country are proving to be in the pink of health. Others, however, are showing poor results.
The report, which is a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is based on more than 30 factors such as housing, education, commuting time, exercise, insufficient sleep, drug use, residential segregation, among many others.
There are also different measures that are divided into four categories, namely health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment.
One of the report's key findings is that rural counties have high rates of obesity, smoking, teen births, and child poverty, as well as higher numbers of adults who are uninsured. In contrast, large urban counties have lower obesity and smoking rates, fewer injury-related deaths and higher number of residents who attended some college.
Bridget Catlin, lead researcher of the report, said they think that because rural areas have smaller populations, less businesses and less taxes, the rural counties struggle to offer as many opportunities as urban counties do.
"All of this has a significant impact on health," said Catlin.
The report, however, has a caveat: it doesn't really rank counties across the country overall. Instead, it compares counties with other counties within its own state.
Additionally, the U.S. contains 3,141 counties and county equivalents, but the report excluded 100 counties whose populations are too small to get reliable data. The ranking greatly depends on the meaures listed above.
Catlin said it is more helpful for communities to compare themselves with other communities that are operating in the same cultural and geopolitical environment.
"Ranking communities ... is appealing to Americans' competitive nature. The whole point of it is to start conversations that lead to actions that help people live healthier lives," said Catlin.
Catlin believes the things a person can do on his own are so much easier if he lives in a supportive community where opportunities to make the healthy choice are present.
Healthiest Counties In The Country: Overall Ranking By Health Factors
Alabama
1 Shelby (SH)
2 Madison (MD)
3 Jefferson (JE)
4 Baldwin (BA)
5 Lauderdale (LU)
6 Autauga (AU)
7 Coffee (CF)
8 Limestone (LI)
9 Cullman (CU)
10 Lee (LE)
Delaware
1 New Castle (NE)
2 Sussex (SU)
3 Kent (KE)
Virginia
1 Falls Church City (FC)
2 Arlington (AR)
3 Fairfax (FI)
4 Loudoun (LO)
5 Hanover (HN)
6 Fairfax City (FA)
7 Poquoson City (PQ)
8 York (YO)
9 James City (JC)
10 Albemarle (AL)
California
1 Marin (MR)
2 San Mateo (SE)
3 Santa Clara (ST)
4 Placer (PL)
5 San Francisco (SF)
6 Orange (OR)
7 Nevada (NE)
8 El Dorado (EL)
9 San Luis Obispo (SP)
10 Sonoma (SM)
Alaska
1 Juneau (JU)
2 Sitka (SI)
3 Fairbanks North Star (FA)
4 Anchorage (AN)
5 Kodiak Island (KO)
6 Ketchikan Gateway (KG)
7 Wrangell-Petersburg (WP)
8 Kenai Peninsula (KE)
9 Valdez-Cordova (VC)
10 Matanuska-Susitna (MA)
Colorado
1 Douglas (DU)
2 Pitkin (PI)
3 Broomfield (BR)
4 Boulder (BO)
5 Ouray (OU)
6 Routt (RO)
7 Summit (SU)
8 Elbert (EL)
9 Eagle (EA)
10 Larimer (LR)
Louisiana
1 St. Tammany (SY)
2 Cameron (CM)
3 Ascension (AS)
4 East Baton Rouge (EB)
5 Lafayette (LA)
6 Bossier (BO)
7 St. Charles (SC)
8 Lafourche (LF)
9 West Baton Rouge (WB)
10 Livingston (LV)
North Carolina
1 Orange (OR)
2 Wake (WA)
3 Union (UN)
4 Camden (CM)
5 Chatham (CH)
6 Henderson (HD)
7 Buncombe (BU)
8 Transylvania (TR)
9 Cabarrus (CA)
10 New Hanover (NH)
Wyoming
1 Teton (TE)
2 Sublette (SU)
3 Crook (CR)
4 Johnson (JO)
5 Sheridan (SH)
6 Converse (CO)
7 Albany (AL)
8 Lincoln (LI)
9 Park (PA)
10 Weston (WE)
Oklahoma
1 Canadian (CN)
2 Kingfisher (KI)
3 Grant (GN)
4 Cleveland (CE)
5 McClain (MC)
6 Rogers (RO)
7 Woods (WO)
8 Washington (WS)
9 Major (MA)
10 Ellis (EL)
Georgia
1 Oconee (OC)
2 Fayette (FY)
3 Forsyth (FO)
4 Harris (HI)
5 Columbia (CU)
6 Cherokee (CE)
7 Cobb (CB)
8 Bryan (BR)
9 Union (UN)
10 Lee (LE)
Arkansas
1 Benton (BE)
2 Saline (SA)
3 Baxter (BA)
4 Faulkner (FA)
5 Washington (WA)
6 Boone (BO)
7 Grant (GR)
8 Lonoke (LK)
9 Pope (PP)
10 Pulaski (PU)
Florida
1 St. Johns (SJ)
2 Sarasota (SS)
3 Seminole (SO)
4 Martin (MA)
5 Collier (CO)
6 Nassau (NA)
7 Charlotte (CH)
8 Monroe (MO)
9 Palm Beach (PB)
10 Alachua (AL)
Arizona
1 Pima (PI)
2 Yavapai (YA)
3 Maricopa (MA)
4 Greenlee (GE)
5 Cochise (CO)
6 Coconino (CC)
7 Santa Cruz (SC)
8 Pinal (PN)
9 Graham (GR)
10 Gila (GI)
Kentucky
1 Oldham (OL)
2 Boone (BN)
3 Spencer (SP)
4 Woodford (WD)
5 Campbell (CB)
6 Anderson (AN)
7 Hancock (HA)
8 Daviess (DA)
9 Scott (SC)
10 Marshall (MS)
Massachusetts
1 Norfolk (NO)
2 Middlesex (MI)
3 Hampshire (HP)
4 Barnstable (BA)
5 Dukes (DU)
6 Nantucket (NT)
7 Franklin (FR)
8 Essex (ES)
9 Berkshire (BE)
10 Plymouth (PL)
South Dakota
1 Lincoln (LI)
2 Edmunds (ED)
3 Union (UN)
4 Hughes (HG)
5 Brown (BW)
6 Hanson (HS)
7 Lake (LA)
8 Hand (HN)
9 Brookings (BR)
10 Davison (DA)
Iowa
1 Winneshiek (WN)
2 Johnson (JO)
3 Sioux (SI)
4 Bremer (BR)
5 Grundy (GU)
6 Lyon (LY)
7 Dallas (DA)
8 Story (ST)
9 Warren (WR)
10 Kossuth (KO)
Hawaii
1 Honolulu (HO)
2 Kauai (KU)
3 Maui (MA)
4 Hawaii (HA)
New Mexico
1 Los Alamos (LA)
2 Santa Fe (SF)
3 Sandoval (SA)
4 Grant (GR)
5 Bernalillo (BE)
6 Colfax (CO)
7 Hidalgo (HI)
8 Lincoln (LI)
9 Eddy (ED)
10 Union (UN)
Montana
1 Gallatin (GA)
2 Lewis and Clark (LC)
3 Stillwater (SW)
4 Jefferson (JE)
5 Fallon (FA)
6 Sweet Grass (SG)
7 Missoula (MS)
8 Madison (MA)
9 Beaverhead (BE)
10 Park (PA)
West Virginia
1 Putnam (PU)
2 Jefferson (JE)
3 Monongalia (ML)
4 Ohio (OH)
5 Morgan (MG)
6 Harrison (HI)
7 Pendleton (PE)
8 Tucker (TU)
9 Pleasants (PL)
10 Mineral (MI)
Rhode Island
1 Bristol (BR)
2 Washington (WA)
3 Newport (NP)
4 Kent (KE)
5 Providence (PR)
Idaho
1 Ada (AD)
2 Blaine (BL)
3 Valley (VA)
4 Latah (LA)
5 Madison (MA)
6 Bonneville (BV)
7 Caribou (CR)
8 Franklin (FR)
9 Bannock (BA)
10 Teton (TE)
New Hampshire
1 Rockingham (RG)
2 Grafton (GR)
3 Merrimack (ME)
4 Carroll (CA)
5 Hillsborough (HB)
6 Cheshire (CH)
7 Belknap (BE)
8 Strafford (ST)
9 Sullivan (SU)
10 Coos (CO)
Nevada
1 Douglas (DO)
2 Eureka (EU)
3 Washoe (WA)
4 White Pine (WP)
5 Lander (LA)
6 Storey (ST)
7 Humboldt (HU)
8 Elko (EL)
9 Churchill (CH)
10 Lincoln (LI)
Utah
1 Morgan (MO)
2 Summit (SU)
3 Utah (UT)
4 Davis (DV)
5 Cache (CA)
6 Wasatch (WA)
7 Kane (KA)
8 Washington (WS)
9 Box Elder (BE)
10 Salt Lake (SL)
Texas
1 Collin (CON)
2 Kendall (KEN)
3 Williamson (WIM)
4 Fort Bend (FBE)
5 Rockwall (ROC)
6 Gillespie (GIE)
7 Denton (DEN)
8 Travis (TRA)
9 Carson (CAR)
10 Comal (COM)
Maine
1 Cumberland (CU)
2 Sagadahoc (SA)
3 Knox (KN)
4 York (YO)
5 Lincoln (LI)
6 Hancock (HA)
7 Kennebec (KE)
8 Franklin (FR)
9 Waldo (WA)
10 Penobscot (PE)
Connecticut
1 Middlesex (MI)
2 Tolland (TO)
3 Litchfield (LI)
4 Fairfield (FA)
5 Hartford (HA)
6 New London (NL)
7 New Haven (NH)
8 Windham (WI)
Pennsylvania
1 Montgomery (MT)
2 Chester (CH)
3 Bucks (BU)
4 Cumberland (CU)
5 Centre (CE)
6 Montour (MU)
7 Union (UN)
8 Butler (BT)
9 Lancaster (LN)
10 Lebanon (LE)
Maryland
1 Howard (HO)
2 Montgomery (MO)
3 Carroll (CO)
4 Frederick (FR)
5 Queen Anne's (QA)
6 Talbot (TA)
7 Anne Arundel (AN)
8 Calvert (CA)
9 Harford (HA)
10 St. Mary's (SM)
Missouri
1 St. Charles (SR)
2 Platte (PA)
3 St. Louis (SO)
4 Osage (OS)
5 Clay (CY)
6 Andrew (AN)
7 Boone (BO)
8 Christian (CH)
9 Worth (WO)
10 Cass (CS)
Washington
1 King (KG)
2 Snohomish (SN)
3 San Juan (SJ)
4 Kitsap (KT)
5 Island (IS)
6 Walla Walla (WL)
7 Jefferson (JE)
8 Thurston (TH)
9 Whatcom (WA)
10 Garfield (GF)
Nebraska
1 Hamilton (HM)
2 Perkins (PE)
3 Seward (SE)
4 Washington (WA)
5 Fillmore (FI)
6 Sarpy (SR)
7 Cuming (CU)
8 Boone (BO)
9 Phelps (PH)
10 Chase (CH)
Mississippi
1 Madison (MA)
2 Rankin (RA)
3 Lamar (LM)
4 DeSoto (DE)
5 Lafayette (LA)
6 Lee (LE)
7 Jackson (JA)
8 Union (UN)
9 Itawamba (IT)
10 Pontotoc (PO)
Illinois
1 DuPage (DP)
2 Woodford (WF)
3 Monroe (ME)
4 Piatt (PI)
5 Kendall (KD)
6 McLean (ML)
7 Effingham (EF)
8 Lake (LA)
9 Jo Daviess (JD)
10 McHenry (MH)
Michigan
1 Washtenaw (WA)
2 Ottawa (OT)
3 Livingston (LI)
4 Clinton (CN)
5 Oakland (OK)
6 Midland (MD)
7 Emmet (EM)
8 Grand Traverse (GT)
9 Leelanau (LL)
10 Marquette (MQ)
Vermont
1 Chittenden (CH)
2 Washington (WA)
3 Addison (AD)
4 Windsor (WN)
5 Windham (WI)
6 Grand Isle (GI)
7 Orange (OR)
8 Lamoille (LA)
9 Rutland (RU)
10 Franklin (FR)
North Dakota
1 Burleigh (BR)
2 Stark (ST)
3 Sargent (SA)
4 Cass (CA)
5 Divide (DV)
6 Mercer (ME)
7 Cavalier (CV)
8 Foster (FO)
9 Dickey (DI)
10 Barnes (BA)
Indiana
1 Hamilton (HA)
2 Boone (BO)
3 Dubois (DU)
4 Hendricks (HD)
5 Warrick (WI)
6 Hancock (HN)
7 Spencer (SP)
8 Johnson (JO)
9 Wells (WE)
10 Whitley (WL)
South Carolina
1 Beaufort (BE)
2 Greenville (GR)
3 Charleston (CH)
4 York (YO)
5 Lexington (LX)
6 Dorchester (DO)
7 Richland (RI)
8 Pickens (PI)
9 Anderson (AN)
10 Berkeley (BK)
Ohio
1 Delaware (DL)
2 Warren (WA)
3 Putnam (PU)
4 Mercer (MC)
5 Medina (ME)
6 Geauga (GE)
7 Union (UN)
8 Wood (WO)
9 Auglaize (AU)
10 Hancock (HN)
Kansas
1 Johnson (JO)
2 McPherson (MP)
3 Nemaha (NM)
4 Pottawatomie (PT)
5 Trego (TR)
6 Wabaunsee (WB)
7 Mitchell (MC)
8 Comanche (CM)
9 Rawlins (RA)
10 Logan (LG)
Oregon
1 Benton (BE)
2 Washington (WH)
3 Clackamas (CL)
4 Hood River (HR)
5 Deschutes (DE)
6 Gilliam (GI)
7 Lane (LE)
8 Multnomah (MU)
9 Union (UN)
10 Grant (GR)
Tennessee
1 Williamson (WL)
2 Knox (KN)
3 Wilson (WI)
4 Sumner (SU)
5 Loudon (LO)
6 Washington (WS)
7 Blount (BU)
8 Hamilton (HM)
9 Rutherford (RU)
10 Moore (ME)
Minnesota
1 Olmsted (OL)
2 Carver (CR)
3 Washington (WA)
4 Scott (SC)
5 Nicollet (NI)
6 Dakota (DA)
7 Wabasha (WB)
8 Brown (BW)
9 Douglas (DU)
10 Wright (WR)
New Jersey
1 Hunterdon (HT)
2 Somerset (SO)
3 Morris (MR)
4 Bergen (BE)
5 Monmouth (MO)
6 Middlesex (MI)
7 Burlington (BU)
8 Sussex (SU)
9 Warren (WA)
10 Mercer (ME)
New York
1 Nassau (NA)
2 Putnam (PU)
3 Westchester (WE)
4 Saratoga (SA)
5 Suffolk (SF)
6 Tompkins (TO)
7 Dutchess (DU)
8 Rockland (RO)
9 Albany (AL)
10 Ontario (OT)
Wisconsin
1 Ozaukee (OZ)
2 Waukesha (WU)
3 Dane (DA)
4 Calumet (CA)
5 St. Croix (SC)
6 La Crosse (LC)
7 Washington (WH)
8 Outagamie (OU)
9 Sheboygan (SE)
10 Door (DR)
Incidentally, you can check out other rankings on the site.
