5. Bristol, Rhode Island
> Premature deaths (years of life lost per 100,000): 4,230 (21st lowest)
> Percent reporting fair or poor health: 8.9%
> Unemployment: 10.1%
> Children in poverty: 8.3%
> Largest municipality: Bristol
Bristol has one of the lowest rates of children living below the poverty line at 8%. It also has one of the lowest teen birth rates in the country. Its 21% obesity rate is particularly low, as is its rate of children born with low birth weight, which is 5.5%. Additionally, Bristol has one of the nation’s lowest premature death rates. Residents feel healthy too with only 8.9% reporting being in fair or poor health.
4. Johnson, Iowa
> Premature deaths (years of life lost per 100,000): 4,511 (40th lowest)
> Percent reporting fair or poor health: 7.7%
> Unemployment: 4.4%
> Children in poverty: 12.5%
> Largest municipality: Iowa City
Residents of Johnson County, Iowa report feeling sick just 2.2 days each month, the fifth-lowest rate among the largest counties in the U.S. The economy of the county is in very good shape. The unemployment rate is just 4.4%, the seventh-lowest rate among the 1,000 largest counties in the U.S. Only 5.3% reported being unable to access a doctor because they couldn’t afford to pay compared to the 20% or more reported in other parts of the country.
3. St. Croix, Wisconsin
> Premature deaths (years of life lost per 100,000): 4,655 (54th lowest)
> Percent reporting fair or poor health: 7.2%
> Unemployment: 7.3%
> Children in poverty: 8.2%
> Largest municipality: Hudson
Only 7.2% of St. Croix County report being in fair or poor health — among the nation’s lowest rates. The county does especially well in the category of mental health. Residents are reportedly mentally unhealthy for an average of only 1.8 days each month, which is the fourth-lowest rate among the 1,000 largest counties. They are physically unhealthy an average of 2.5 days, which is not as exceptionally low but still far below the average. The county population is thoroughly educated with a high school graduation rate of 95%.
2. Arlington, Virginia
> Premature deaths (years of life lost per 100,000): 3,749 (3rd lowest)
> Percent reporting fair or poor health: 8.7%
> Unemployment: 4.2%
> Children in poverty: 10.4%
> Largest municipality: Washington, D.C.
Arlington is yet another extremely wealthy Virginia county that is part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. It has the seventh-highest median household income among the nation’s largest counties. It also has an unemployment rate of just 4.4%, the fifth-lowest in the country. Consequently, only a small percentage of residents, just 7.6%, avoid seeing a physician because of cost. Arlington also has the third lowest rate of years of life lost because of premature death.
1. Riley, Kansas
> Premature deaths (years of life lost per 100,000): 4,227 (20th lowest)
> Percent reporting fair or poor health: 6.8%
> Unemployment: 5%
> Children in poverty: 17.7%
> Largest municipality: Manhattan
Riley County in Kansas is the healthiest county in U.S. Its rate of premature death is extremely low, and only 6.8% of residents report being in fair or poor health — one of the lowest rates of all counties. The average number of days per month that residents report being physically unhealthy is a mere 2.1, which is the second-lowest in the country. As with many other counties on this list, residents of Riley County are highly-educated. The county has a high school graduation rate of 92% with 79.3% of residents with post-secondary education. The unemployment rate is currently 5.0% in Riley, significantly lower than the national rate of 8.3%.
Read: The Most Unhealthy Counties in America
-Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale
