HoCo Ranks Among 'Best Counties to Live' in U.S.: Survey

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Columbia was named the best place in America to live in 2016 by Money magazine and now another group of analysts have ranked Howard County among the best places to call home.

According to a survey released Tuesday by financial news site 24/7 Wall St, Howard County is the fifth best county to live in nationally based on three measures of social well-being: educational attainment, poverty rate and life expectancy. Unemployment and health insurance coverage rates also factored into the rankings.

"As is the case with its neighbor, Montgomery County, Howard County residents are among the healthiest, most highly educated and financially secure in the United States," according to 24/7 Wall St.

• Columbia is Best Place to Live in America for 2016: Money Magazine
• Best Counties to Live In: Montgomery County Ranked No. 14 in U.S.
• Howard County Ranks Among Happiest Places in America

HoCo came out on top — Howard was fifth and Montgomery County was number 14 in these rankings.

Here are the stats from 24/7 Wall St. about Howard County:

• Life expectancy—83 years
• Poverty rate—5.2 percent
• 5-year population change: +8.9 percent
• November's unemployment rate: 3 percent

In particular, the educated population distinguished Howard County, the survey found.

"About 61 percent of adult residents have at least a bachelor’s degree, making Howard one of only seven U.S. counties with a bachelor’s degree attainment rate" that is almost double the national statistic, according to 24/7 Wall St.

The U.S. Census found that 32.5 percent of adults in the nation had at least a bachelor's degree in 2015.

"People with higher educational attainment tend to live longer, healthier lives than those with lower educational attainment, and Howard County fits this trend," 24/7 Wall St. reports. "Life expectancy at birth in Howard is 83 years, more than four years longer than it is nationwide."

These are the best counties for living in the U.S., according to 24/7 Wall St.:

1. Falls Church, Virginia
2. Arlington County, Virginia
3. Fairfax County, Virginia
4. Loudoun County, Virginia
5. Howard County, Maryland
6. Douglas County, Colorado
7. Los Alamos, New Mexico
8. Fairfax (City), Virginia
9. Marin County, California
10. Alexandria, Virginia

Read the entire report from 24/7 Wall St.

Patch file photo.