8 MA Counties Among the Healthiest Communities In America: U.S. News

MASSACHUSETTS — Eight of the healthiest communities in America are in Massachusetts, according to a new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News said the sixth annual 2024 Healthiest Communities ranking measures how well counties serve their residents and is intended as a blueprint for residents, community health leaders and elected officials to develop policies and best practices for better health outcomes.

The analysis considers more than 90 metrics and hundreds of thousands of data points across 10 main categories: community vitality, economy, education, environment, equity, food and nutrition, population health, housing, infrastructure and public safety, U.S. News said. The report also includes an overall ranking of America’s Healthiest Communities.

Suffolk County isn't the highest overall, but it does reign supreme in the access to care subcategory, the report said. The ranking is largely due to the county's high ranking in the availability of hospital beds and primary care doctors, and also its population with no health insurance metrics.

Among more than 3,140 counties ranked, those in Massachusetts that made the top 500 are:

• Nantucket County, 37
• Norfolk County, 58
• Middlesex County, 72
• Dukes County, 129
• Hampshire County, 171
• Barnstable County, 390
• Plymouth County, 393
• Franklin County, 435

The top 10 healthiest places in the country are:

1. Falls Church, Virginia (city)
2. Los Alamos County, California
3. Douglas County, Colorado
4. Sioux City, Iowa
5. Hamilton County, Indiana
6. Dallas County, Iowa
7. Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
8. Carver County, Minnesota
9. Bremer County, Iowa
10. Morgan County, Utah

“Evaluating community health is crucial as we consider the well-being of citizens across our country,” Julia Haines, U.S. News data editor, said in a news release “The Healthiest Communities rankings examine which communities offer the greatest opportunity to live a healthy, productive life. They also highlight that even the ‘healthiest’ communities struggle in certain areas.”

To compile the rankings and create the overall Healthiest Communities project, U.S. News partnered with the University of Missouri Extension Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems, a research institution skilled in community health assessment.

Overall, the rankings are based on metrics drawn from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Census Bureau and the Environmental Protection Agency