Maryland's Healthiest Counties Ranked For 2018

BETHESDA, MD — While some of Maryland's healthiest counties are chock full of commuters with long drives, they also have less poverty, and better access to health care. Montgomery County is Maryland's healthiest county, according to 2018 rankings released Wednesday and produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The rankings again showed wealthier suburban counties as Maryland's healthiest, led by Montgomery County. The remaining top five are rounded out by Howard, Carroll, Calvert and Frederick counties. The bottom five are the city of Baltimore, then Somerset, Caroline, Dorchester and Allegany.

The rankings look at factors other than medical care, such as education, transportation and poverty, that influence how long and how well people live. The study says the unhealthiest counties are mostly in rural areas of the state and on the Eastern Shore. (See the full list at the bottom of this story.)

The report noted that children in poverty are less likely to have access to quality schools and have fewer chances to be prepared for higher-wage jobs. In Maryland, 13 percent of children live in poverty, compared with 20 percent nationally. The rate of children in poverty ranges from 6 percent in Howard County to 32 percent in the city of Baltimore.

In addition, children in poverty rates among racial/ethnic groups in Maryland range from 8 to 18 percent. (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

For nearly a decade, the annual County Health Rankings have shown that where we live makes a difference in how well and how long we live. This year, the analyses find that meaningful health gaps persist not only by place, but also by race and ethnicity.

"We can't be a healthy, thriving nation if we continue to leave entire communities and populations behind," said Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "Every community should use their County Health Rankings data, work together, and find solutions so that all babies, kids, and adults – regardless of their race or ethnicity – have the same opportunities to be healthy."

These gaps are largely influenced by differences in opportunities – from a lack of access to quality health care to a lack of safe, affordable housing – that disproportionately affect people of color. This year's Key Findings Report shows some troubling trends that stand in the way of good health:

• There is an alarming pattern of racial disparity among low birthweight babies, which is a key indicator of quality of life for mothers and babies. Compared to white babies, black babies are twice as likely to be born at low birthweight and about twice as likely to die before their first birthday.
• Segregated communities of color are more likely to be cut off from opportunities for health. This year's report shows blacks in more segregated counties fare worse in rates of child poverty, infant mortality, and high school graduation rates than blacks in less segregated counties.
• One improvement is that teen birth rates have been declining across urban and rural communities and racial groups for more than a decade. Hispanic teens have seen the most improvement in birth rates, falling from 77.7 to 31.9 births per 1,000 females, ages 15-19, from 2006 to 2016.

Here are the Maryland rankings of healthiest counties, from best to worst:

1. Montgomery
2. Howard
3. Carroll
4. Calvert
5. Frederick
6. St. Mary's
7. Anne Arundel
8. Harford
9. Queen Anne's
10. Talbot
11. Charles
12. Worcester
13. Baltimore
14. Prince George's
15. Garrett
16. Kent
17. Cecil
18. Washington
19. Wicomico
20. Allegany
21. Dorchester
22. Caroline
23. Somerset
24. Baltimore City

Visit County Health Rankings to learn more about what's happening in your community and explore the Take Action to Improve Health resources for policies and strategies to consider.

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