Some of the best places to live in the US have better-than-average health. U.S. News & World Report ranked the top counties by health of population.
- Health and wellness are key components of thriving communities.
- U.S. News & World Report released its 2018 rankings of the healthiest communities in the US.
- The list below focuses on one of the factors used in the ranking: population health, including how many people participate in physical activity, life expectancy, and mental health.
- Olmsted County, Minnesota has the healthiest population in the country, according to the rankings. Falls Church City, Virginia, came out No. 1 overall.
The roughly 144,000 residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota are among the fittest, happiest, and longest-living people in the United States.
That's according to the 2018 U.S. News & World Report rankings of the healthiest communities in the country.
A number of factors were considered in the rankings, including population health, equity (think income inequality and disparity in health across different ethnic populations), education, economy, housing, food and nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality, and infrastructure. Falls Church City, Virginia, came out No. 1 overall.
The list below focuses exclusively on one of the factors used in the U.S. News list to determine the healthiest cities: population health, which breaks down into sub-factors such as how many people have health insurance, how many people participate in regular physical activity, rates of cancer, life expectancy, and how many poor mental health days people have every month. Colorado communities appear multiple times on the list.
Communities were also identified as urban or rural, and as "high-performing" or "up-and-coming" based on their economic performance.
Read on to learn more about the communities with the healthiest populations in the US.
25. Yankton County, South Dakota
Overall ranking: 334
Population health score: 86
Population: 22,438
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 80.5
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 18.7%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.6
24. Custer County, South Dakota
Overall ranking: 231
Population health score: 86
Population: 8,216
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 80
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 18.2%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.5
23. Broomfield County, Colorado
Population health score: 87
Population: 55,889
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 80
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 11.8%
Poor mental health days per month: 3
22. Grand County, Colorado
Overall ranking: 17
Population health score: 87
Population: 14,843
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82.7
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 12%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.1
21. Carver County, Minnesota
Overall ranking: 13
Population health score: 87
Population: 91,042
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82.8
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 14.9%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.4
20. Kauai County, Hawaii
Overall ranking: 106
Population health score: 88
Population: 67,091
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 81.1
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 17.4%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.8
19. Sioux County, Iowa
Overall ranking: 107
Population health score: 88
Population: 33,704
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82.9
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 20.1%
Poor mental health days per month: 3
18. Cook County, Minnesota
Overall ranking: 100
Population health score: 88
Population: 5,176
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 15.7%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.1
17. Johnson County, Iowa
Overall ranking: 122
Population health score: 89
Population: 130,882
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82.1
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 17.4%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.1
16. Arlington County, Virginia
Overall ranking: 31
Population health score: 89
Population: 207,627
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82.8
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 14.2%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.9
15. Hamilton County, Nebraska
Overall ranking: 247
Population health score: 89
Population: 9,124
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 80.4
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 17.9%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.6
14. Sedgwick County, Colorado
Overall ranking: 164
Population health score: 89
Population: 2,379
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 78.2
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 17.7%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.4
13. Maui County, Hawaii
Overall ranking: 227
Population health score: 90
Population: 154,834
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 81
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 17.2%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.9
12. Falls Church City, Virginia
Population health score: 90
Population: 12,332
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 81.8
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 20.7%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.8
11. Montgomery County, Maryland
Overall ranking: 93
Population health score: 90
Population: 971,777
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 81.5
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 15.7%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.9
10. King County, Washington
Overall ranking: 319
Population health score: 90
Population: 1,931,249
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 81.4
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 13.5%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.1
9. Fairfax County, Virginia
Overall ranking: 21
Population health score: 91
Population: 1,081,726
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 83.7
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 15.6%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.6
8. Ouray County, Colorado
Population health score: 92
Population: 4,436
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 83.0
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 12.3%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.1
7. Marin County, California
Overall ranking: 91
Population health score: 92
Population: 252,409
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 83.8
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 11%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.4
6. Santa Clara County, California
Overall ranking: 161
Population health score: 93
Population: 1,781,642
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 83.1
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 15.2%
Poor mental health days per month: 3
5. Summit County, Colorado
Overall ranking: 26
Population health score: 93
Population: 27,994
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 86.8
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 8.4%
Poor mental health days per month: 3
4. San Mateo County, California
Overall ranking: 61
Population health score: 94
Population: 718,451
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 83.1
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 15.6%
Poor mental health days per month: 3
3. Winnishiek County, Iowa
Overall ranking: 22
Population health score: 94
Population: 21,056
Type of community: Rural, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82.6
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 16.9%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.9
2. San Francisco County, California
Overall ranking: 426
Population health score: 95
Population: 805,235
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 15.6%
Poor mental health days per month: 3.3
1. Olmsted County, Minnesota
Overall ranking: 109
Population health score: 100
Population: 144,248
Type of community: Urban, high-performing
Life expectancy: 82.2
Adults with no leisure-time physical activity: 16.6%
Poor mental health days per month: 2.6