Health Stats: The Best and Worst States

Massachusetts is the overall healthiest state in the union, according to the 2017 America's Health Rankings Report by the United Health Foundation. Mississippi is the least healthy. But on individual metrics, the states vary widely. Here are the highest- and lowest-ranking states for each of the 35 different measures of public health used in the report. [Full story: Massachusetts Unseats Hawaii As Healthiest State] 

Drug deaths

Best: North Dakota, 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people

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Worst: West Virginia, 55.3 deaths per 100,000 people

Excessive drinking

Best: West Virginia, 11.8 percent of adults

Worst: Wisconsin, 26 percent of adults

Four-year high school graduation rate

Best: Iowa, 90.8 percent

Worst: New Mexico, 68.6 percent

Obesity rate

Best: Colorado, 22.3 percent of the population with a body mass index over 30

Worst: West Virginia, 37.7 percent of the population with a body mass index over 30

Physical activity

Best: Utah, 15.7 percent of the population reports no physical activity

Worst: Arkansas, 32.5 percent of the population reports no physical activity

Smoking

Best: Utah, 8.8 percent of the population are current smokers

Worst: West Virginia, 24.8 percent of the population are current smokers

Air pollution

Best: Wyoming, 3.8 percent of the population is exposed to particulate matter sized 2.5 microns or less

Worst: California, 11.7 percent of the population is exposed to particulate matter sized 2.5 microns or less

Children in poverty

Best: New Hampshire, 7.6 percent of children living below the poverty threshold

Worst: Mississippi, 29.9 percent of children living below the poverty threshold

Infectious disease

Best: West Virginia, lowest incidence of chlamydia, pertussis and Salmonella combined

Worst: Louisiana, highest incidence of chlamydia, pertussis and Salmonella combined

Pertussis (whooping cough)

Best: Mississippi, 0.4 new cases per 100,000 people

Worst: Nebraska, 27.2 new cases per 100,000 people

Chlamydia

Best: New Hampshire, 233.3 new cases per 100,000 people

Worst: Alaska, 768.3 new cases per 100,000 people

Salmonella

Best: Maine, 9.3 new cases per 100,000 people

Worst: Mississippi, 35.7 new cases per 100,000 people

Occupational deaths

Best: New York, 2 deaths per 100,000 workers

Worst: Wyoming, 12.6 deaths per 100,000 workers

Violent crime

Best: Maine, 124 murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults per 100,000 people

Worst: Alaska, 804 murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults per 100,000 people

Immunization rates in adolescents

Best: Rhode Island

Worst: Mississippi

HPV immunization rate in females 13-17

Best: Rhode Island, 73 percent

Worst: South Carolina, 30.8 percent

HPV immunization rate in males 13-17

Best: Rhode Island, 68.7 percent

Worst: Wyoming, 19.9 percent

Meningococcal immunization rate in adolescents

Best: Rhode Island, 96.4 percent

Worst: Wyoming, 54.2 percent

Tdap (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) immunization rate in adolescents

Best: Massachusetts, 96.7 percent

Worst: South Carolina, 77.5 percent

Childhood immunization rate

Best: Massachusetts, 85.3 percent of children 19 to 35 months old have received recommended immunizations

Worst: Oregon, 58.1 percent of children 19 to 35 months old have received recommended immunizations

Public health funding (state and federal)

Best: West Virginia, $296 per person

Worst: Nevada, $41 per person

Uninsured rate

Best: Massachusetts, 2.7 percent of population uninsured

Worst: Texas, 16.9 percent uninsured

Concentration of Dentists

Best: Massachusetts, 80.7 dentists per 100,000 people

Worst: Arkansas, 41.2 dentists per 100,000 people

Concentration of mental-health providers

Best: Massachusetts, 547.3 providers per 100,000 people

Worst: Alabama, 85 providers per 100,000 people

Concentration of primary care physicians

Best: Rhode Island, 256.3 providers per 100,000 people

Worst: Idaho, 96.6 providers per 100,000 people

Low birth weight (infants weighing less than 5.5 pounds, 8 ounces at birth)

Best: Alaska, 5.8 percent of live births

Worst: Mississippi, 11.4 percent of live births

Preventable hospitalizations (discharges for conditions treatable in ambulatory care)

Best: Hawaii, 23.3 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees 65 and older

Worst: Kentucky, 76.6 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees 65 and older

Cancer deaths

Best: Utah, 150.5 per 100,000 people

Worst: Kentucky, 233.6 per 100,000 people

Cardiovascular deaths

Best: Minnesota, 189.7 per 100,000 people

Worst: Mississippi, 352.5 per 100,000 people

Diabetes

Best: Colorado, 6.6 percent of the population diagnosed with diabetes

Worst: West Virginia, 15 percent of the population diagnosed with diabetes

Disparity in health status

(Difference between the percentage of adults over age 25 with a high school education compared with those without a high school education who reported their health is very good or excellent)

Best: Alaska, 8.1 percent

Worst: California, 37.6 percent

Rate of frequent mental distress

Best: South Dakota, 8.3 percent of adults reporting poor mental health 14 or more days out of the past 30

Worst: West Virginia, 16.5 percent of adults reporting poor mental health 14 or more days out of the past 30

Rate of frequent physical distress

Best: North Dakota, 8.9 percent of adults reporting poor physical health 14 or more days out of the past 30

Worst: West Virginia, 18.2 percent of adults reporting poor physical health 14 or more days out of the past 30

Infant mortality

Best: New Hampshire, 4.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births

Worst: Mississippi, 8.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births

Premature death (years of life lost before age 75)

Best: Minnesota, 5,555 potential years lost per 100,000 people

Worst: Mississippi, 10,950 potential years lost per 100,000 people

Originally published on Live Science.