Douglas County, Colorado may be the healthiest community in America, according to the 2019 Healthiest Communities rankings by U.S. News & World Report, released this week in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, but Delaware County is close on its heels.
The second annual report and accompanying analysis are based on an evaluation of nearly 3,000 communities nationwide across 81 health-related metrics in 10 categories, from education and population health to infrastructure and environment. In addition to assessing which communities offer their citizens the greatest opportunity to live a productive, healthy life, the project serves as a tool to inform residents, health care leaders and elected officials about policies and best practices that help drive better health outcomes.
For 2019, the top five Healthiest Communities score above the national average in all 10 categories. Following Douglas County, Colorado, at No. 1, Los Alamos County, New Mexico, rose to No. 2, moving Falls Church city, Virginia, to No. 3, down from No. 1 in 2018. Loudoun County, Virginia, jumped up a spot to No. 4, with Broomfield County, Colorado, rounding out the top five.
Delaware County was recognized as the 9th healthiest community in the country. The county scored particularly well in terms of housing, community vitality, and equity. The next highest ranked Ohio counties were Warren, which came in at number 74, and Medina, at number 115.
This came soon after Delaware County was named the healthiest county in Ohio.
Key Findings in the 2019 Healthiest Communities rankings:
- For 2019, Douglas County, Colorado, is the No. 1 healthiest community in America.
- Seven communities in Colorado rank among the top 20.
- Iowa has the strongest presence in the Healthiest Communities rankings overall, with 62 counties landing among the top 500.
- 81 counties are new to this year’s top 500 communities.
- Of the 81 metrics included in the Healthiest Communities analysis, diabetes prevalence and smoking rate have the strongest correlation to life expectancy.
- At 8.7 percent, the average smoking rate across Utah counties is the lowest in the country.
- Poor self-reported mental health has about the same negative link to life expectancy as diabetes, smoking and physical inactivity.
- Communities in Nebraska take 16 of the top 100 spots in the Mental Health subcategory.
To compile the rankings, U.S. News worked with the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES), a research institution skilled in community health assessment, and consulted with members of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. For the 2019 rankings, three new measures were added: two under the Equity category assessing racial disparities and one under the Housing category measuring households with incomplete plumbing. Overall, the rankings are based on metrics drawn from sources such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Healthiest Communities rankings are the centerpiece of a platform featuring in-depth reporting and analysis on community and public health issues, as well as comprehensive data covering the full spectrum of factors that influence population health.
