Not One NYC County Ranks Among The Nation's 500 Healthiest

NEW YORK, NY — A new report ranks the 500 healthiest American communities – and New York City is nowhere to be found. You read that right: Not a single NYC county is among the healthiest in the United States, according to the figures released on Monday by U.S. News & World Report.

The news outlet compiled the list in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, evaluating 3,000 communities across 10 categories. In addition to the overall rankings, the news organization ranked communities across four groups: urban high-performing, urban up-and-coming, rural high-performing and rural up-and-coming. New York City counties did not make under the urban, high-performing group.

New York County

New York County had an overall score of 66, slightly higher than the state average of 62 and much higher than the U.S. average of 52. Below are the scores for the individual categories, with 100 being the highest, as tabulated by the authors. They are in order of highest weighted to least highest weighted, with population health receiving a 14.2 percent weight and infrastructure receiving a 7.5 percent weight. New York fell hardest on its equity score, which relates to income, education and social equality and their effects on the ability to live healthy lifestyles.

• Population Health: 84
• Equity: <5
• Education: 78
• Economy: 77
• Housing: 41
• Food & Nutrition: 74
• Environment: 40
• Public Safety: 46
• Community Vitality: 61
• Infrastructure: 61

Queens County

Queens County had an overall score of 48. Here are the individual scores:

• Population Health: 66
• Equity: 28
• Education: 57
• Economy: 74
• Housing: 21
• Food & Nutrition: 63
• Environment: 16
• Public Safety: 79
• Community Vitality: 22
• Infrastructure: 45

Kings County

Kings County had an overall score of 48 as well. Here are the individual scores:

• Population Health: 61
• Equity: 40
• Education: 61
• Economy: 63
• Housing: 13
• Food & Nutrition: 59
• Environment: 25
• Public Safety: 78
• Community Vitality: 27
• Infrastructure: 45

Bronx County

Bronx County had an overall score of 42. Here are the individual scores:

• Population Health: 53
• Equity: 50
• Education: 54
• Economy: 46
• Housing: 23
• Food & Nutrition: 52
• Environment: 24
• Public Safety: 81
• Community Vitality: 20
• Infrastructure: 45

Richmond County

Richmond County, which includes Staten Island, had an overall score of 60. Here are the individual scores:

• Population Health: 69
• Equity: 45
• Education: 60
• Economy: 75
• Housing: 21
• Food & Nutrition: 63
• Environment: 31
• Public Safety: 86
• Community Vitality: 45
• Infrastructure: 44

“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.”

Sixteen counties elsewhere in the state ranked among the 500 healthiest in the U.S.. They are:

• Putnam County (55)
• Saratoga County (59)
• Nassau County (179)
• Suffolk County (180)
• Ontario County (198)
• Warren County (256)
• Essex County (291)
• Rockland County (309)
• Hamilton County (338)
• Schuyler County (377)
• Genesee County (379)
• Albany County (420)
• Madison County (427)
• Tomkins County (435)
• Tioga County (442)
• Rensselaer County (491)

Here are the New York communities that were ranked in the urban, high-performing category:

• Putnam County (43)
• Saratoga County (45)

Here are the New York communities that were ranked in the rural high-performing category:

• Essex County (81)
• Hamilton County (100)

Here are the New York communities that were ranked in the urban up-and-coming category:

• Livingston County (18)
• Ostego County (21)
• Cortland County (27)
• Seneca County (54)
• Clinton County (78)
• Oswego County (91)
• Herkimer County (94)
• Yates County (95)

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

The rankings were compiled by evaluating how communities performed across 80 metrics in 10 categories: population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food and nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality and infrastructure. U.S. News collaborated with the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) to collect and analyze data. The data was collected from government and private sources. (Read the full methodology here)

You can see the full rankings here.

Patch reporter Feroze Dhanoa contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images