Americans are living longer than ever before, but are they living better? Well, the state you live in can offer some clues. Where we live has an impact on our health. With this in mind, Forbes looked at all 50 states and compared them on 21 metrics in three categories: disease risk factors and prevalence, substance abuse, and lifestyle habits and health outlook. In this gallery, we present you the results of this comparison.
Curious to know if your state is among the least healthy or the healthiest? Click on to find out.
Let's move on to healthy states! Massachusetts is the fifth healthiest state overall, and ranks second best in Forbes’ disease risk factors and prevalence category. In addition, the Bay State ranks fourth in lifestyle habits and health outlook.
The state has both the second lowest diabetes mortality rate (16.6 per 100,000) and stroke mortality rate (25.57 per 100,000) nationwide.
Massachusetts boasts the fourth lowest percentage of obese adults (27.2%) and has the third lowest heart disease mortality rate in the country (129.37 per 100,000).
Minnesota comes in at number four overall. The state has the lowest heart disease mortality rate of the country (119.57 per 100,000).
The Land of 10,000 Lakes can also pride itself for having the second lowest percentage of adults with high cholesterol (31.4%) in the entire country.
Minnesotans have the third highest life expectancy in the US (80 years). They also rank fourth when it comes to kidney disease mortality rate (7.37 per 100,000) and adults with high blood pressure (29.5%).
The Constitution State ranks third overall, and it’s particularly strong when it comes to disease risk factors and prevalence.
Connecticut has the lowest diabetes mortality rate in the US (16.33 per 100,000).
The state has the fourth lowest chronic lower respiratory disease mortality rate (25.33 per 100,000), as well as the fourth lowest stroke mortality rate (28.2 per 100,000).
The second healthiest state doesn't have much of a problem with alcohol and illicit drug use. Utah has the fourth lowest percentage of heavy drinkers (5%), and only 8,075.01 per 100,000 reported illicit drug use in the previous month.
The Beehive State can pride itself for having the lowest percentage of adults who smoke (6.7%).
Utah also boasts the lowest cancer mortality rate in the entire country (119.23 per 100,000) and the second lowest percentage of adults with high blood pressure (26.6%).
According to Forbes, Hawaii is the healthiest state in the US. The Aloha State also has the longest life expectancy in the country (80.87 years).
Hawaii has the lowest chronic lower respiratory disease mortality rate nationwide, with 17.83 deaths per 100,000.
The state ranks second lowest when it comes to percentage of obese adults (25.9%), heart disease mortality rate (123.93 per 100,000), cancer mortality rate (125.5 per 100,000), and chronic liver disease mortality rate (8.37 per 100,000).
Kentucky ranks as the fifth least healthy state in the country, scoring poorly in both health and lifestyle indicators.
The Bluegrass State has the third highest cancer mortality rate (178.27 deaths per 100,000 state residents), as well as the third highest drug overdose death rate (45.77 per 100,000).
Kentucky ranks fourth nationwide when it comes to the percentage of adults who smoke (17.4%), and has the country’s fourth highest chronic lower respiratory disease mortality rate (58.7 per 100,000).
Arkansas is the third worst state when it comes to disease risk factors. Opioid misuse and prescription pain reliever misuse is a problem in the state, which ranks second across America.
The Natural State has the second highest chronic lower respiratory disease mortality rate in the country (60.7 per 100,000). In addition, it ranks third when it comes to diabetes mortality rate (34.3 per 100,000).
Arkansas scored second in the country for the number of smokers (18.7%). Plus, 31.2% of participants said they did not exercise in the last month, a number that places the state in second place overall.
Both lifestyle habits and health are in pretty bad shape in the Volunteer State, ranking fourth worst across the nation in those categories.
Tennessee has the highest rate of opioid misuse in the US (3,743.97 per 100,000), as well as prescription pain reliever misuse (3,190.88 per 100,000).
A staggering 18.5% of adults smoke, which is the third highest percentage in the country. The state also has the fifth highest cancer mortality rate (165.9 per 100,000) across the US.
Mississippi stands out (negatively) when it comes to disease risk factors and prevalence. The Magnolia State is the second worst nationwide when it comes to lifestyle and health. Mississippi has the shortest life expectancy in the country (73.63 years).
Mississippi scores the highest nationwide when it comes to cancer mortality rate (178.97 per 100,000), hypertension mortality rate (17.37 per 100,000), kidney disease mortality rate (21.8 per 100,000), and stroke mortality rate (54.8 per 100,000).
The state has the second highest rate of both diabetes (38.53 per 100,000) and heart disease deaths (242.5 per 100,000) in the country.
According to Forbes, West Virginia is the unhealthiest state in the US. The Mountain State scores really poorly in both lifestyle and health, and its residents have the second lowest life expectancy in America.
A staggering 21% of adults in West Virginia smoke, and nearly half of the population is obese (41%). When asked if they exercised in the last month, 30.2% of respondents said "no."
West Virginia has the highest percentage of adults with high cholesterol (41%) in the country. The state also tops the charts with the highest diabetes mortality rate in the US (41.7 per 100,000). Sadly, West Virginia also has the highest drug overdose death rate in the country (75.03 per 100,000).
Sources: (Forbes)
The healthiest and least healthy states in America
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HEALTH Usa
Americans are living longer than ever before, but are they living better? Well, the state you live in can offer some clues. Where we live has an impact on our health. With this in mind, Forbes looked at all 50 states and compared them on 21 metrics in three categories: disease risk factors and prevalence, substance abuse, and lifestyle habits and health outlook. In this gallery, we present you the results of this comparison.
Curious to know if your state is among the least healthy or the healthiest? Click on to find out.