Massachusetts is the healthiest state in America – despite seeing the fastest rise in drug overdose deaths this year, a major report has declared.
The annual rankings from United Health Foundation assess 35 different factors, from smoking and obesity rates to pollution, concentration of doctors, and causes of death.
Researchers promoted Massachusetts from second place to first this year, ending Hawaii’s five-year reign.
One of the key factors is the unprecedented scale of people with healthcare coverage: the Northeastern state has the lowest rate of uninsured citizens (just 2.7 percent), as well as scant obesity, and huge decreases in child poverty and smoking.
The state also holds the distinction of the most mental health providers per capita in the country – an irony, given the high rate of drug deaths, which is so tightly linked to poor mental health.
For the second year in a row, Mississippi was classed the least healthy state, due to its high prevalence of smoking, obesity, and child poverty as well as a significant lack in the amount of doctors per capita.
The ‘bottom 10’ consists entirely of states in the impoverished South: Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Georgia.
