Special Report
This Is the Least Healthy County in Mississippi
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Maintaining good health is critical to overall quality of life. While health problems that come with age are often unavoidable, there are several measures people can take to increase their odds of living a long and healthy life.
Components of a healthy lifestyle that people have control over are sticking to a well-balanced diet, regularly exercising, and refraining from harmful habits like smoking. But many people across the country fail to adhere to these guidelines for different reasons. This is evident across the U.S., with differences in population’s health varying from state to state and from county to county.
To identify the least healthy county in every state, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on behaviors and outcomes in all 3,142 U.S. counties and county equivalents from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
Holmes County is the least healthy in Mississippi. With a poverty rate of 42.4%, more than double the state poverty rate, Holmes is the poorest county in Mississippi, which itself is the poorest state in the country. Living in poverty can have a negative effect on health because people may have less access to health care and may not have the means to buy healthy foods. The average number of mentally and physically unhealthy days a month adults in Holmes report is the highest and second highest of all 82 counties in the state, respectively.
Two unhealthy behaviors that are more common among residents in Holmes than in most other state counties are sedentary lifestyles and smoking. About 41.6% of adults do not exercise, compared to 31.9% in Mississippi as a whole. Holmes also has the highest smoking rate of all counties in the state at 27.8%, higher than the state rate of 22.2%.
Americans who do not lead healthy lifestyles may be at increased risk of certain serious diseases and conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. These are the state where cancer kills the most people.
| State | County | Largest City | Poverty rate | Obesity rate | Inactivity rate | Smoking rare | Uninsured rate | Adults in poor or fair health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Conecuh | Evergreen | 18% | 43% | 41% | 21% | 13% | 29% |
| Alaska | Aleutians East | Sand Point | 14% | 51% | 30% | 17% | 46% | 17% |
| Arizona | Apache | Chinle CDP | 35% | 33% | 27% | 22% | 25% | 26% |
| Arkansas | Lafayette | Stamps | 26% | 46% | 45% | 20% | 8% | 25% |
| California | Lassen | Susanville | 13% | 41% | 37% | 14% | 4% | 15% |
| Colorado | Costilla | San Luis | 27% | 28% | 25% | 17% | 11% | 28% |
| Connecticut | Windham | Willimantic CDP | 11% | 30% | 23% | 14% | 4% | 13% |
| Delaware | Kent | Dover | 14% | 35% | 31% | 17% | 7% | 19% |
| Florida | Gadsden | Quincy | 23% | 43% | 35% | 20% | 14% | 26% |
| Georgia | Clinch | Homerville | 40% | 52% | 27% | 24% | 19% | 27% |
| Hawaii | Hawaii | Hilo CDP | 16% | 26% | 21% | 14% | 5% | 14% |
| Idaho | Owyhee | Homedale | 16% | 39% | 26% | 16% | 22% | 20% |
| Illinois | Vermilion | Danville | 19% | 41% | 32% | 18% | 6% | 18% |
| Indiana | Switzerland | Vevay | 19% | 34% | 37% | 24% | 11% | 22% |
| Iowa | Wayne | Corydon | 17% | 39% | 31% | 17% | 11% | 15% |
| Kansas | Wyandotte | Kansas City | 19% | 40% | 33% | 21% | 18% | 23% |
| Kentucky | McCreary | Pine Knot CDP | 33% | 40% | 39% | 32% | 5% | 34% |
| Louisiana | Madison | Tallulah | 36% | 41% | 39% | 28% | 11% | 31% |
| Maine | Aroostook | Presque Isle | 16% | 36% | 31% | 19% | 8% | 17% |
| Maryland | Somerset | Princess Anne | 22% | 44% | 35% | 20% | 6% | 19% |
| Massachusetts | Hampden | Springfield | 16% | 31% | 26% | 15% | 3% | 18% |
| Michigan | Clare | Clare | 23% | 37% | 31% | 20% | 11% | 17% |
| Minnesota | Mahnomen | Mahnomen | 23% | 39% | 28% | 25% | 14% | 20% |
| Mississippi | Holmes | Durant | 42% | 46% | 42% | 28% | 16% | 38% |
| Missouri | Dunklin | Kennett | 26% | 41% | 44% | 26% | 16% | 30% |
| Montana | Glacier | Cut Bank | 31% | 37% | 31% | 31% | 38% | 25% |
| Nebraska | Thurston | Pender | 26% | 44% | 32% | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| Nevada | Mineral | Hawthorne CDP | 20% | 30% | 31% | 21% | 10% | 22% |
| New Hampshire | Coos | Berlin | 13% | 34% | 26% | 17% | 7% | 15% |
| New Jersey | Cumberland | Vineland | 16% | 36% | 31% | 18% | 9% | 23% |
| New Mexico | McKinley | Gallup | 35% | 39% | 26% | 22% | 20% | 26% |
| New York | Orleans | Medina | 14% | 38% | 33% | 17% | 5% | 16% |
| North Carolina | Hertford | Ahoskie | 22% | 46% | 43% | 19% | 11% | 24% |
| North Dakota | Sioux | Cannon Ball CDP | 38% | 39% | 25% | 39% | 32% | 34% |
| Ohio | Lawrence | Ironton | 18% | 40% | 38% | 21% | 6% | 24% |
| Oklahoma | Adair | Stilwell | 28% | 48% | 25% | 28% | 27% | 29% |
| Oregon | Jefferson | Madras | 18% | 43% | 24% | 19% | 9% | 20% |
| Pennsylvania | Fayette | Uniontown | 17% | 40% | 35% | 21% | 5% | 18% |
| Rhode Island | Providence | Providence | 15% | 29% | 27% | 14% | 5% | 17% |
| South Carolina | Marion | Marion | 23% | 44% | 38% | 20% | 13% | 26% |
| South Dakota | Oglala Lakota | N/A | 46% | 39% | 27% | 38% | 37% | 32% |
| Tennessee | Lauderdale | Ripley | 21% | 45% | 36% | 25% | 10% | 29% |
| Texas | Willacy | Raymondville | 27% | 40% | 29% | 19% | 28% | 37% |
| Utah | San Juan | Blanding | 25% | 35% | 23% | 16% | 22% | 21% |
| Vermont | Franklin | St. Albans | 9% | 34% | 26% | 17% | 4% | 13% |
| Virginia | Nottoway | Blackstone | 18% | 39% | 34% | 20% | 13% | 21% |
| Washington | Adams | Othello | 26% | 37% | 24% | 14% | 16% | 23% |
| West Virginia | McDowell | Welch | 33% | 44% | 38% | 30% | 6% | 32% |
| Wisconsin | Menominee | Keshena CDP | 35% | 43% | 23% | 34% | 25% | 27% |
| Wyoming | Big Horn | Lovell | 13% | 33% | 28% | 16% | 16% | 15% |
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