The Aetna Foundation and U.S. News & World Report have released the inaugural “Healthiest Communities” rankings. The new report evaluated nearly 3,000 communities nationwide across 10 categories, from education and population health to infrastructure and economy. In addition to assessing which communities offer their citizens the greatest opportunity to live a productive, healthy life, the rankings offer insight into the best approaches for improving public health that can be shared and implemented across the country.
“For nearly 30 years, U.S. News has evaluated hospitals, colleges, and other sectors for the benefit of consumers, recognizing the importance of access to trusted, in-depth information,” said Eric Gertler, chair of U.S. News. “Healthiest communities is an extension of that effort, giving citizens, community leaders, and policymakers the tools to assess health in their communities and develop a blueprint for positive change.”
In addition to an overall ranking of the top 500 communities, four peer groupings were developed based on counties' urban-rural status as tied to population density and the robustness of their economies. The peer groups are categorized by urban high-performing, urban up-and-coming, rural high-performing, and rural up-and-coming. An honor roll also was developed that highlights 36 top-performing communities in each peer group from the nine U.S. census regions.
“Research has shown that in the United States, your ZIP code is a greater predictor of your life expectancy than your genetic code. In other words, where you live has a significant impact on your overall health,” said Mark T. Bertolini, chair of the Aetna Foundation and chair and chief executive officer of Aetna. “Our work with U.S. News will provide communities with data that can help them better understand opportunities for improvement, as well as inspire ideas for change by showcasing the best practices of communities across the country.”
The key findings in the 2018 Healthiest Communities rankings included:
- The top five Healthiest Communities all scored above the national average in at least nine of the 10 categories evaluated. Falls Church, Virginia, was No. 1, ranking in the top three communities nationally for education, economy, and public safety.
- Douglas County and Broomfield County, Colorado, followed at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Los Alamos County, New Mexico, placed fourth, while Dukes County, Massachusetts, rounded out the top five.
- Virginia and Colorado communities dominated the top 10. Among the top 10: Falls Church (1), Fairfax (6), and Loudoun County(10), Virginia; Douglas County (2), Broomfield County (3), Routt County (8), and Ouray County(9), Colorado. Together, communities in the two states boasted an average of 62 primary care doctors for every 100 people and an average life expectancy that was more than a year longer than the national average.
- Peer Groups: The top 100 communities in each peer group ranged from Keweenaw County, Michigan – a county with a total population of just over 2,000 – to Middlesex County, Massachusetts, home to more than 1.5 million people. Rural counties stood out in the community vitality category that included measures such as voter participation and homeownership rates, while up-and-coming economies performed strongly in the food and nutrition category, which included access to large supermarkets and fewer cases of obesity and diabetes.
- Across all four peer groups, top counties ranked well in the population health category, which looked at access to care, mental health, health behaviors such as preventative care visits and tobacco use, prevalence of health conditions such as cancer and heart disease among Medicare beneficiaries, and health outcomes including life expectancy and teen birth rates.
- Honor Roll: When organized by region, a number of communities that may not be at the top on a national stage stood out among their regional peers. Communities that were highlighted on the 2018 Healthiest Communities Honor Roll that did not rank in the top 500 included Lexington, Virginia; Orleans County, Vermont; and Pickett County, Tennessee.
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].