Bergen County Ranked Among America's Healthiest Communities

Bergen County is ranked among the healthiest communities in the United States, according to an analysis released by U.S. News & World Report on Monday. The rankings, compiled in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, present a list of the 500 healthiest American communities.

U.S. News evaluated 3,000 communities across 10 categories to determine the rankings. The categories include: Population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food and nutrition, environment; public safety, community vitality, and infrastructure.

Bergen County ranked 153rd out of 500 counties nationwide.

Bergen County earned a 77 score for population health, a 35 score for equity, a 83 score for education and an 89 for economy. To see a full breakdown of performance in all the categories, click here to see the Bergen County ranking.

The median life expectancy is 82 years; the national average is nearly 80 years. The smoking rate is 11 percent, lower than the national average of 17 percent.

Eleven percent of Bergen County residents do not have health insurance; the national average is nearly 13 percent.

"Research has shown that in the United States, your ZIP code is a greater predictor of your life expectancy than your genetic code," Mark Bertolini, chairman of the Aetna Foundation and chairman and CEO of Aetna, said in a press release. "In other words, where you live has a significant impact on your overall health."

U.S. News collaborated with the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) to collect and analyze data.

Data was collected from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Dartmouth Atlas of Healthcare and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Read the full methodology here.)

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