Health score
One number for a county's health. It averages illness, health habits, preventive care and death rates, each put on the same scale and turned so higher is better. Twenty-six of its thirty measures are CDC PLACES estimates from a statistical model. So measures are averaged within each publisher first, and PLACES counts once, not twenty-six times.
Reported for2,956areas, in 49 states — none in KY, PA, PR
Link to density0.32not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.58Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typeratestandard deviations
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
· derived from 41 measures (BRFSS, CDC, CHR)
The average of 41 measures from 3 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: how many typical gaps between places (standard deviations) it sits above or below the average. Each is also flipped where needed, so higher is always better. Measures from the same publisher are averaged first, then the publishers are averaged together. Each level is scaled on its own. A county's score shows where it stands among counties, and a state's shows where it stands among states. The two are not on one scale, so do not compare them with each other. This is a summary, not a measurement.
Combining areas: it cannot be combined, so it is shown only where its publisher works it out.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 102 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Health score and Homicide rate, annualWhere Health score is higher, Homicide rate, annual tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Homicide rate, annual by US county | -0.73 | -0.68 |
| Health score and Safety scoreWhere Health score is higher, Safety score tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Safety score by US county | +0.76 | +0.59 |
| Health score and Material security scoreWhere Health score is higher, Material security score tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Material security score by US county | +0.76 | +0.58 |
| Health score and Homicide rateWhere Health score is higher, Homicide rate tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Homicide rate by US county | -0.66 | -0.58 |
| Health score and Returns claiming the earned income creditWhere Health score is higher, Returns claiming the earned income credit tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Returns claiming the earned income credit by US county | -0.76 | -0.55 |
| Health score and Motor vehicle crash deathsWhere Health score is higher, Motor vehicle crash deaths tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Motor vehicle crash deaths by US county | -0.72 | -0.50 |
| Health score and Firearm fatalitiesWhere Health score is higher, Firearm fatalities tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Firearm fatalities by US county | -0.66 | -0.47 |
| Health score and Average test scoreWhere Health score is higher, Average test score tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Average test score by US county | +0.69 | +0.43 |
| Health score and Economic connectednessWhere Health score is higher, Economic connectedness tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Economic connectedness by US county | +0.67 | +0.42 |
| Health score and Children in single-parent householdsWhere Health score is higher, Children in single-parent households tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Children in single-parent households by US county | -0.56 | -0.42 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Health score and Share White, not HispanicNot an independent finding: one is modelled from the other. It is an estimate from a statistical model that uses the other as an input, so part of the match is built in. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | +0.26 | +0.37 |
| Health score and Share Black, not HispanicNot an independent finding: one is modelled from the other. It is an estimate from a statistical model that uses the other as an input, so part of the match is built in. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | -0.45 | -0.40 |
| Health score and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceNot an independent finding: one is modelled from the other. It is an estimate from a statistical model that uses the other as an input, so part of the match is built in. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | -0.00 | -0.04 |
| Health score and Share Asian, not HispanicNot an independent finding: one is modelled from the other. It is an estimate from a statistical model that uses the other as an input, so part of the match is built in. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | +0.41 | -0.06 |
| Health score and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicNot an independent finding: one is modelled from the other. It is an estimate from a statistical model that uses the other as an input, so part of the match is built in. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | -0.45 | -0.51 |
Highest and lowest
Of 2,956 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Pitkin County, CO — 2.09
- Denali Borough, AK — 1.99
- Manassas Park city, VA — 1.88
- Summit County, CO — 1.81
- Teton County, WY — 1.59
Lowest
- Kusilvak Census Area, AK — -3.31
- Oglala Lakota County, SD — -3.05
- Todd County, SD — -2.84
- Northwest Arctic Borough, AK — -2.73
- Buffalo County, SD — -2.51
The middle area reports -0.0305. The middle half of counties falls between -0.44 and 0.355 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works