Union County Doesn't Rank Among US's Healthiest Communities

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Union County is not ranked among the healthiest 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.

Union County failed to make the top 500 nationwide.

“Research has shown that in the United States, your ZIP code is a greater predictor of your life expectancy than your genetic code,” Mark T. 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.”

Here are the New Jersey communities that ranked among the 500 healthiest in the U.S.:

• Morris County (29)
• Hunterdon County (34)
• Somerset County (53)
• Sussex County (73)
• Burlington County (134)
• Bergen County (153)
• Monmouth County (245)
• Gloucester County (367)
• Middlesex County (385)
• Warren County (399)

Union County earned a 67 score for population health, a 14 score for equity, a 75 score for education and an 82 for economy. To see a full breakdown of performance in all the categories, click here to see the rankings.

The top 10 healthiest communities in the U.S. are:

1. Falls Church City, Virginia
2. Douglas County, Colorado
3. Broomfield County, Colorado
4. Los Alamos County, New Mexico
5. Dukes County, Massachusetts
6. Fairfax City, Virginia
7. Hamilton County, Indiana
8. Routt County, Colorado
9. Ouray County, Colorado
10. Loudoun County, Virginia

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 Health Care and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Read the full methodology here)

(Image via Shutterstock)

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