Morris County Ranks Number One in Statewide Health Report and in Top 25 Across the Nation
Published on March 27, 2019
Morris County ranks as the healthiest county in New Jersey for the second consecutive year, according to the annual health report prepared by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
(JPG, 13KB)
Morris County ranked at or near the top in almost every category in the report, such as life expectancy, health behaviors and clinical care. Hunterdon, Somerset, Bergen and Middlesex counties round out the top five healthiest counties in the state in 2019.
This year's County Health Rankings, which include a detailed look at Morris County, were based on weighted scores for health care and behaviors, social and economic factors, and the physical environment.
Analysts used the most recent data on 35 factors that measure quality of life and "quantity" of life €” the percent of the population who lives to 75 and older.
The lone factor where Morris County scored poorly was in the large number of county residents who drive alone to work.
The annual rankings provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work and play. They can provide a starting point for required change in communities.
(PNG, 20KB)
From last to first, here is a quick snapshot of each county's health profile.
In addition, Morris County also was the lone New Jersey county to rank in the top 25 healthiest communities in the nation, at number 23, in a new report put out jointly by U.S. News & World Report in coordination with the Aetna Foundation and the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems.
The 2019 Healthiest Communities rankings measured nearly 3,000 U.S. counties and county equivalents across dozens of factors that can help or harm the health of a community and its residents, in 10 categories ranging from economic performance and public safety to food and nutrition and housing.
The second annual project from U.S. News also allows comparisons between communities, showing where some succeed and others have struggled in fostering health and well-being €“ and how all can learn from each other.