Virginia's Healthiest Counties Ranked For 2018

LEESBURG, VA — While some of Virginia's healthiest counties are chock full of commuters with long drives, they also have less poverty, and better access to health care. Loudon County is Virginia's healthiest county, according to 2018 rankings released Wednesday and produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The rankings again showed wealthier suburban counties as the Commonwealth's healthiest, led by Loudon, Arlington, and Fairfax counties, plus the cities of Falls Church and Poquoson. The bottom five are the cities of Covington, Galax, Emporia, Martinsville and Petersburg. Other areas that fared well include the Richmond and Virginia Beach metros.

The rankings look at factors other than medical care, such as education, transportation and poverty, that influence how long and how well people live. The study says the unhealthiest counties are mostly in rural areas of the state. (See the full list at the bottom of this story.)

The report noted that children in poverty are less likely to have access to quality schools and have fewer chances to be prepared for higher-wage jobs. In Virginia, 14 percent of children live in poverty, compared with 20 percent nationally. The rate of children in poverty ranges from 3 percent in Falls Church to 39 percent in the city of Emporia.

In addition, children in poverty rates among racial/ethnic groups in Virginia range from 6 to 29 percent. (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

For nearly a decade, the annual County Health Rankings have shown that where we live makes a difference in how well and how long we live. This year, the analyses find that meaningful health gaps persist not only by place, but also by race and ethnicity.

"We can't be a healthy, thriving nation if we continue to leave entire communities and populations behind," said Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "Every community should use their County Health Rankings data, work together, and find solutions so that all babies, kids, and adults – regardless of their race or ethnicity – have the same opportunities to be healthy."

These gaps are largely influenced by differences in opportunities – from a lack of access to quality health care to a lack of safe, affordable housing – that disproportionately affect people of color. This year's Key Findings Report shows some troubling trends that stand in the way of good health:

• There is an alarming pattern of racial disparity among low birthweight babies, which is a key indicator of quality of life for mothers and babies. Compared to white babies, black babies are twice as likely to be born at low birthweight and about twice as likely to die before their first birthday.
• Segregated communities of color are more likely to be cut off from opportunities for health. This year's report shows blacks in more segregated counties fare worse in rates of child poverty, infant mortality, and high school graduation rates than blacks in less segregated counties.
• One improvement is that teen birth rates have been declining across urban and rural communities and racial groups for more than a decade. Hispanic teens have seen the most improvement in birth rates, falling from 77.7 to 31.9 births per 1,000 females, ages 15-19, from 2006 to 2016.

Here are the Virginia rankings of healthiest cities and counties, from best to worst:

1. Loudoun
2. Arlington
3. Fairfax
4. Falls Church City
5. Poquoson City
6. Albemarle
7. York
8. Prince William
9. Alexandria City
10. Powhatan
11. Rappahannock
12. Stafford
13. Manassas Park City
14. Goochland
15. James City
16. Hanover
17. Fauquier
18. Fairfax City
19. Clarke
20. Rockingham
21. Fluvanna
22. Augusta
23. Manassas City
24. Frederick
25. Botetourt
26. Virginia Beach City
27. New Kent
28. Spotsylvania
29. Bedford
30. Chesterfield
31. Roanoke
32. Prince George
33. Henrico
34. King George
35. Isle of Wight
36. Montgomery
37. Chesapeake City
38. Williamsburg City
39. Warren
40. Lexington City
41. Gloucester
42. Louisa
43. Greene
44. Culpeper
45. King and Queen
46. Orange
47. Floyd
48. Amelia
49. Shenandoah
50. Salem City
51. Madison
52. Charlottesville City
53. Harrisonburg City
54. Rockbridge
55. Amherst
56. King William
57. Fredericksburg City
58. Campbell
59. Suffolk City
60. Bath
61. Page
62. Nelson
63. Washington
64. Franklin
65. Northumberland
66. Highland
67. Mathews
68. Surry
69. Southampton
70. Pittsylvania
71. Winchester City
72. Grayson
73. Staunton City
74. Norton City
75. Buckingham
76. Caroline
77. Carroll
78. Wythe
79. Appomattox
80. Buena Vista City
81. Essex
82. Middlesex
83. Waynesboro City
84. Dinwiddie
85. Bland
86. Newport News City
87. Alleghany
88. Pulaski
89. Charles City
90. Lancaster
91. Lynchburg City
92. Scott
93. Colonial Heights City
94. Hampton City
95. Craig
96. Giles
97. Sussex
98. Radford City
99. Westmoreland
100. Norfolk City
101. Cumberland
102. Smyth
103. Accomack
104. Roanoke City
105. Nottoway
106. Prince Edward
107. Mecklenburg
108. Richmond
109. Brunswick
110. Charlotte
111. Lunenburg
112. Patrick
113. Russell
114. Richmond City
115. Halifax
116. Henry
117. Northampton
118. Tazewell
119. Lee
120. Portsmouth City
121. Greensville
122. Buchanan
123. Danville City
124. Wise
125. Dickenson
126. Hopewell City
127. Franklin City
128. Bristol City
129. Covington City
130. Galax City
131. Emporia City
132. Martinsville City
133. Petersburg City

Visit County Health Rankings to learn more about what's happening in your community and explore the Take Action to Improve Health resources for policies and strategies to consider.

Photo by Lucky Business via Shutterstock