US News and World Reports collaborated with Aetna to come up with their annual list of the healthiest communities and counties in America. This year, some newcomers topped the list, while both Virginia and Colorado shined with multiple counties making the cut.
The extensive report collected data from around 3,000 counties and analyzed a variety of social health determinants. These factors weren’t just limited to lifespans, obesity rates, and access to healthcare, but included around 80 different key health metrics, according to the report. These key metrics are often referred to as social determinants of health, which you can read more about here, and include:
- Education
- Socioeconomic Status
- Housing and Public Safety
- Community Wellness Initiatives
- Nutrition
- Environment
- Healthcare Accessibility
The report released named Falls Church County, a small community located in northern Virginia, as the healthiest county in the US. Falls Church wasn’t the only county to make the list from Virginia though, both Fairfax County and Loudoun County made the list as the 6th and 10th healthiest counties in the US respectively.
Colorado was the other health-conscious state that dominated the rankings, racking up 4 counties that made the list. Douglas County and Broomfield County were ranked 2nd and 3rd, while Routt County and Ouray County finished 8th and 9th.
Rounding out the healthiest counties in the US were Los Alamos County in New Mexico at number 4, Dukes County, Massachusetts at 5, and Hamilton County in Indian at 7.