A new study finds that those in urban, upper-income jurisdictions are healthier than people who live in poor, rural areas.
By Stephanie Kaye
A new study ranks the health of the nation's counties, showing those in poor, rural areas are less healthy than counties in urban, upper-income jurisdictions.
The project makes connections between personal wealth and factors like obesity, access to health care and lifespan. The University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the project.
If you're in a Commonwealth county, the further south you go the less healthy you're likely to be. Fairfax tops Arlington and Loudoun for healthiest county, while Loudoun, James City and York are ranked healthiest according to the factors that influence health. Some of those factors include smoking, exercise and access to health care.
In Maryland, Howard County edges out Montgomery County for the top spot in both overall health and factors that influence health.
The District of Columbia does not produce enough statistical information to have been included in the study.