Each year, County Health Rankings publishes the latest data about the health of our nation’s counties, creating a road map of the multiple factors that influence public health in a particular area. The handy list drills down to the specifics in terms of what affects our overall health, including less-obvious influences such as education level, income and environment. Here, we’ve plucked bits of data from counties across the U.S. for an intriguing overview of the factors impacting our well-being.
35: Percentage of residents in Alabama’s Walker County who report being in fair to poor health.
10: Percentage of Marin County, California, residents who report being in fair to poor health.
44: Percentage of residents in Shannon County, South Dakota, who identify as tobacco smokers.
12: Percentage of Deschutes County, Oregon, residents who identify as tobacco smokers.
3: Food environment index rating for Tensas County, Louisiana. The index, ranging from 0-10, identifies the ease of access to healthy food options — 0 indicates little or no access, while 10 indicates easy and abundant access.
10: Food environment index rating for Frederick County, Maryland.
2: Percentage of Carroll County, Mississippi, residents who say they have regular access to exercise opportunities.
$30,568: Median household income in Carroll County, Mississippi.
5,186 to 1: Ratio of Carroll County, Mississippi, residents to available primary care physicians.
100: Percentage of Monroe County, Florida, residents who say they have regular access to exercise opportunities.
$53,418: Median household income in Monroe County, Florida.
1,477 to 1: Ratio of Monroe County, Florida, residents to available primary care physicians.
86: Percentage of Bourbon County, Kentucky, residents accessing public water sources in 2012-2013 who were affected by a water violation.
13,632: Average number of Bourbon County, Kentucky residents affected annually by a water violation.
78: Number of Bourbon County, Kentucky, students expected to graduate from a pool of 291 freshmen.
16: Percentage of Bourbon County, Kentucky residents who report being in fair to poor health.
Sources: County Health Rankings 2014 Report, compiled through a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and U.S. Census data.
Samantha Bartram is the Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine.