Montgomery County Ranked Third Healthiest In Pennsylvania

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA -- Despite recent studies showing that the area suffers from high rates of drug overdoses and fatal asbestos poisoning, Montgomery County has been ranked as among the state's healthiest counties, according to new research.

The study put together by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute measures the health of nearly every country across America.

Researchers took data from a wide variety of national and local sources and ranked them with statistical-informed weight. The following categories were considered:

1. Overall Health Outcomes
2. Health Outcomes – Length of life
3. Health Outcomes – Quality of life
4. Overall Health Factors
5. Health Factors – Health behaviors
6. Health Factors – Clinical care
7. Health Factors – Social and economic factors
8. Health Factors – Physical environment

Montgomery County ranked first out of Pennsylvania's 67 in three of those categories: overall health factors, clinical care, and social and economic factors.

It more than made up for their poor physical environment ranking, which placed them 22nd overall.

Across the state, Montgomery County trailed only Union County (second) and neighboring Chester County (first) in the overall ranking.

Learn more about the data sources for this study here.

Image of Pennsylvania premature death rate courtesy Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.