MINNESOTA — Thirty-eight of the healthiest areas in America are in Minnesota, including one in the top 10, according to new rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.
Carver County, Minnesota, ranked eighth overall.
U.S. News said the 2024 Healthiest Communities rankings, now in their sixth year, measure how well counties are serving their residents and are intended to serve as a blueprint for residents, local health leaders and elected officials to develop policies and best practices for better health outcomes.
According to U.S. News, the analysis took into account more than 90 indicators and hundreds of thousands of data points across 10 major categories: community vitality, economy, education, environment, equity, food and nutrition, population health, housing, infrastructure and public safety. The report also includes an overall ranking of America's healthiest communities.
Here are the top 10 healthiest places in the country:
Falls Church, Virginia (city) Los Alamos County, New Mexico Douglas County, Colorado Sioux City, Iowa Hamilton County, Indiana Dallas County, Iowa Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Carver County, Minnesota Bremer County, Iowa Morgan County, Utah
Top 5 communities with best access to healthcare:
1. Suffolk County, Massachusetts
2. Olmsted County, Minnesota
3. Montour County, Pennsylvania
4. Perry County, Kentucky
5. Salem, Virginia
Of the more than 3,140 counties ranked, here are the counties in Minnesota that made it into the top 500:
Carver County – 8Brown County – 42Washington County – 44Dodge County – 45Scott County – 48Olmsted County – 59Wright County – 67Houston County – 76Rock County – 115Wabasha County – 128Le Sueur County – 135Fillmore County – 154Pipestone County – 165Stevens County – 222Pope County – 219Lac qui Parle County – 189Rice County – 349Chippewa County – 350Blue Earth County – 356Pennington County – 263Steele County – 274Jackson County – 258Marshall County – 380Faribault County – 317Cottonwood County – 315Cook County – 293Sibley County – 295Norman County – 297Swift County – 228McLeod County – 231Chisago County – 232 Sherburne County – 236 Big Stone County – 306 Crow Wing County – 354 Renville County – 361 Coochchin County – 365 Waseca County – 370 Carlton County – 414
“Assessing the health of communities is a critical part of considering the well-being of citizens across the country,” U.S. News data editor Julia Haynes said in a news release. “The Healthiest Communities rankings examine which communities offer the most opportunities for people to live healthy, productive lives. They also highlight the times when even the most 'healthy' communities struggle in certain areas.”
To compile the rankings and create the comprehensive Healthiest Communities project, U.S. News partnered with the University of Missouri-Extension Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems, a research organization skilled in community health assessments.
Overall, the rankings are based on metrics from sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Census Bureau and the Environmental Protection Agency.
