View the rankings methodology

Related Content

• Counties Worried About Potential Costs of Immigration Reform
• Local and state officials believe the immigration overhaul bill will encourage those in the country illegally to come out of the shadows and turn to local services during the proposed 13-year-long pathway to citizenship.

• Premature Death Twice as Likely in Least Healthy U.S. Counties
• Though premature deaths across the United States have reached a 20-year low, the gap between the healthiest and unhealthiest counties is still wide, according to a new report.

• How Do U.S. Health Costs Compare to Other Countries?
• View an interactive map with health costs for each country, and read our first-ever International Issue online Feb. 1.

• Spotlight Shifts to Mental Health and States' Funding Cuts
• Many states' mental health funding declined in recent years, but now some lawmakers have focused their attention on the issue after last week's shooting deaths in Newtown, Conn. View charts and spending amounts for each state.

• Health Enterprise Zones: Maryland's Unique Approach
• Offering financial incentives to boost services in select areas is common for economic development -- but rarely, if ever, used to reduce health disparities.

• Quality of Community Health Centers Varies Widely
• Community health centers in New Hampshire were the most likely to keep diabetics' blood sugar under control. Vermont’s health centers had the best child immunization rates. Maine’s centers had the highest percent of pregnant women getting early prenatal care.

• How Does Opening a Casino Impact Public Health?
• As Kansas lawmakers consider making it easier to open a casino, public health advocates are assessing the residual health effects.

• How a Big County and a Small Village Solved a Major Health Problem
• Lincoln Heights, Ohio's turnaround may be a model for other troubled areas.

• Community Commons Brings Local Health Initiatives Together
• A new social network helps local health departments and community organizations connect, stay up-to-date on emerging trends and mine through extensive data sets.

• Health Impact Assessments: Bringing Health to All Policies
• Studying the health impact of projects in various sectors, particularly transportation, could influence future policymaking.

• 2012 County Health Rankings Highlight Income Gap
• While a myriad of factors determine a community’s overall health, a strong correlation exists between median household income and health outcomes, according to Governing’s analysis of data from the 2012 County Health Rankings, conducted by the University of Wisconsin and sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.