This is cool.
With a click of your mouse, you can now find out how healthy your county is.
The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Program has compiled truckloads of data and distilled it into easy-to-read stats that appear when you select your state from the U.S. map on their website.
Factors that affect a county’s ranking range from the usual suspects, like smoking and obesity, to slightly more obscure variables such as drinking water safety, education levels, and recreational access.
Photo by Petar Milošević via Wikimedia Commons
The goal behind the program is to “help communities create solutions that make it easier for people to be healthy in their own communities,” explains the program’s founders. “The County Health Roadmaps show what we can do to create healthier places to live, learn, work, and play.”
The site offers Webinars, a Tools & Resources page, and a hands-on Action Center that counties can use to nurture their residents and boost their rankings.
I’ve always believed that small changes close to home are crucial to bettering the nation as a whole, and I do what I can to contribute to my county’s health. I was happy to see that Latah County, my little patch of paradise, is the fourth healthiest county in Idaho.
How about yours?
Our county did very well. I only glanced at the criteria but will look more thoroughly next web visit. What I like most about our county (hands down) is our library system…although clean water & nice green spaces is high~up there too:-)
Our county was 18 overall. Not so great. We are in the north of Florida and rural in nature compared to the rest of the state. While our county is better off than the less populated counties around us, we struggle with obesity, uninsured, poverty, and inadequate social services. In general, Florida is still struggling to regain footing from the 2008 economic fall. We are one of the states that still has the highest number of foreclosed houses still on the market and weak economic recovery. Plus, here in the deep south, eating foods that are high in fat are traditional. All of those rib platters, fried fish, and pecan pies are leading folks to diabetes and other health issues associated with obesity!
In California, San Diego County was 17. Marin County was number one in California…
Chisago county in Minnesota was 35.