1 / 50
#50. Mississippi
Score above/below the national norm: -1.04
Behaviors rank: #49
Community & environment rank: #44
Policy rank: #47
Clinical care rank: #50
Health outcomes rank: #48
Healthiest States in America
One of the best metrics of success and happiness in a country is longevity. With life expectancy generally increasing in the world, it is helpful to know what factors contribute to a healthy and long life. The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." This definition points us in the right direction towards the pursuit of overall health.
However, being healthy in every part of our lives and finding the resources to help us get there is not an easy task. As living in an environment conducive to better living is needed to produce health, Stacker has ranked the healthiest states in the U.S. using the America's Health Rankings 2017 Annual Report.
States are ranked by five metrics: behaviors, community, environmental policy, clinical care, and health outcomes. Find out if your state is as healthy as you think, and read here for more details about its current health condition.
You may also like: The real impacts of mental health stigma, according to research
2 / 50
#49. Louisiana
Score above/below the national norm: -0.91
Behaviors rank: #50
Community & environment rank: #50
Policy rank: #38
Clinical care rank: #49
Health outcomes rank: #43
3 / 50
#48. Arkansas
Score above/below the national norm: -0.77
Behaviors rank: #45
Community & environment rank: #42
Policy rank: #27
Clinical care rank: #48
Health outcomes rank: #47
4 / 50
#47. Alabama
Score above/below the national norm: -0.76
Behaviors rank: #38
Community & environment rank: #48
Policy rank: #23
Clinical care rank: #47
Health outcomes rank: #49
5 / 50
#46. West Virginia
Score above/below the national norm: -0.70
Behaviors rank: #48
Community & environment rank: #36
Policy rank: #12
Clinical care rank: #44
Health outcomes rank: #50
You may also like: Tracking personal health data is the new midlife flex for men
6 / 50
#45. Tennessee
Score above/below the national norm: -0.64
Behaviors rank: #43
Community & environment rank: #40
Policy rank: #35
Clinical care rank: #45
Health outcomes rank: #44
7 / 50
#44. South Carolina
Score above/below the national norm: -0.61
Behaviors rank: #42
Community & environment rank: #46
Policy rank: #44
Clinical care rank: #46
Health outcomes rank: #42
8 / 50
#43. Oklahoma
Score above/below the national norm: -0.59
Behaviors rank: #37
Community & environment rank: #41
Policy rank: #49
Clinical care rank: #43
Health outcomes rank: #45
9 / 50
#42. Kentucky
Score above/below the national norm: -0.51
Behaviors rank: #47
Community & environment rank: #26
Policy rank: #16
Clinical care rank: #39
Health outcomes rank: #46
10 / 50
#41. Georgia
Score above/below the national norm: -0.43
Behaviors rank: #35
Community & environment rank: #39
Policy rank: #33
Clinical care rank: #42
Health outcomes rank: #37
You may also like: Chronic pain is extremely common. What is it, and why is it so hard for many Americans to get relief?
11 / 50
#40. Missouri
Score above/below the national norm: -0.42
Behaviors rank: #39
Community & environment rank: #35
Policy rank: #42
Clinical care rank: #41
Health outcomes rank: #40
12 / 50
#39. Ohio
Score above/below the national norm: -0.41
Behaviors rank: #46
Community & environment rank: #33
Policy rank: #24
Clinical care rank: #40
Health outcomes rank: #39
13 / 50
#38. Indiana
Score above/below the national norm: -0.36
Behaviors rank: #40
Community & environment rank: #27
Policy rank: #32
Clinical care rank: #37
Health outcomes rank: #41
14 / 50
#37. Nevada
Score above/below the national norm: -0.29
Behaviors rank: #32
Community & environment rank: #32
Policy rank: #43
Clinical care rank: #35
Health outcomes rank: #35
15 / 50
#36. New Mexico
Score above/below the national norm: -0.25
Behaviors rank: #36
Community & environment rank: #47
Policy rank: #31
Clinical care rank: #36
Health outcomes rank: #32
You may also like: Digestive issues are on the rise in the US. Here are 5 of the most common conditions.
16 / 50
#35. Michigan
Score above/below the national norm: -0.21
Behaviors rank: #44
Community & environment rank: #29
Policy rank: #18
Clinical care rank: #30
Health outcomes rank: #38
17 / 50
#34. Texas
Score above/below the national norm: -0.19
Behaviors rank: #15
Community & environment rank: #37
Policy rank: #50
Clinical care rank: #38
Health outcomes rank: #27
18 / 50
#33. North Carolina
Score above/below the national norm: -0.18
Behaviors rank: #26
Community & environment rank: #31
Policy rank: #30
Clinical care rank: #31
Health outcomes rank: #36
19 / 50
#32. Florida
Score above/below the national norm: -0.15
Behaviors rank: #28
Community & environment rank: #28
Policy rank: #46
Clinical care rank: #32
Health outcomes rank: #30
20 / 50
#31. Arizona
Score above/below the national norm: -0.11
Behaviors rank: #25
Community & environment rank: #45
Policy rank: #40
Clinical care rank: #33
Health outcomes rank: #25
You may also like: The food and beverage recalls in May 2025
21 / 50
#30. Delaware
Score above/below the national norm: -0.10
Behaviors rank: #30
Community & environment rank: #34
Policy rank: #5
Clinical care rank: #28
Health outcomes rank: #34
22 / 50
#29. Alaska
Score above/below the national norm: -0.07
Behaviors rank: #40
Community & environment rank: #49
Policy rank: #45
Clinical care rank: #34
Health outcomes rank: #13
23 / 50
#28. Pennsylvania
Score above/below the national norm: 0.01
Behaviors rank: #31
Community & environment rank: #30
Policy rank: #13
Clinical care rank: #24
Health outcomes rank: #31
24 / 50
#27. Illinois
Score above/below the national norm: 0.03
Behaviors rank: #23
Community & environment rank: #38
Policy rank: #21
Clinical care rank: #27
Health outcomes rank: #28
25 / 50
#26. Wyoming
Score above/below the national norm: 0.07
Behaviors rank: #34
Community & environment rank: #7
Policy rank: #48
Clinical care rank: #29
Health outcomes rank: #19
You may also like: 10 melatonin alternatives for sleep
26 / 50
#25. Kansas
Score above/below the national norm: 0.12
Behaviors rank: #22
Community & environment rank: #24
Policy rank: #28
Clinical care rank: #25
Health outcomes rank: #22
27 / 50
#24. South Dakota
Score above/below the national norm: 0.20
Behaviors rank: #21
Community & environment rank: #25
Policy rank: #37
Clinical care rank: #26
Health outcomes rank: #6
28 / 50
#23. Maine
Score above/below the national norm: 0.21
Behaviors rank: #29
Community & environment rank: #8
Policy rank: #22
Clinical care rank: #15
Health outcomes rank: #33
29 / 50
#22. Montana
Score above/below the national norm: 0.23
Behaviors rank: #16
Community & environment rank: #23
Policy rank: #41
Clinical care rank: #23
Health outcomes rank: #12
30 / 50
#21. Wisconsin
Score above/below the national norm: 0.27
Behaviors rank: #23
Community & environment rank: #21
Policy rank: #9
Clinical care rank: #21
Health outcomes rank: #21
You may also like: Data shows medication-assisted treatment works for opioid use disorder—so why aren't more people getting it?
31 / 50
#20. Oregon
Score above/below the national norm: 0.30
Behaviors rank: #27
Community & environment rank: #16
Policy rank: #34
Clinical care rank: #17
Health outcomes rank: #24
32 / 50
#19. Virginia
Score above/below the national norm: 0.30
Behaviors rank: #8
Community & environment rank: #6
Policy rank: #39
Clinical care rank: #19
Health outcomes rank: #23
33 / 50
#18. North Dakota
Score above/below the national norm: 0.33
Behaviors rank: #33
Community & environment rank: #14
Policy rank: #14
Clinical care rank: #22
Health outcomes rank: #5
34 / 50
#17. California
Score above/below the national norm: 0.35
Behaviors rank: #2
Community & environment rank: #43
Policy rank: #29
Clinical care rank: #18
Health outcomes rank: #15
35 / 50
#16. Maryland
Score above/below the national norm: 0.36
Behaviors rank: #7
Community & environment rank: #22
Policy rank: #17
Clinical care rank: #13
Health outcomes rank: #26
You may also like: Is a concussion considered a traumatic brain injury?
36 / 50
#15. Iowa
Score above/below the national norm: 0.38
Behaviors rank: #18
Community & environment rank: #17
Policy rank: #11
Clinical care rank: #20
Health outcomes rank: #7
37 / 50
#14. Idaho
Score above/below the national norm: 0.38
Behaviors rank: #11
Community & environment rank: #11
Policy rank: #25
Clinical care rank: #14
Health outcomes rank: #17
38 / 50
#13. Nebraska
Score above/below the national norm: 0.40
Behaviors rank: #19
Community & environment rank: #18
Policy rank: #19
Clinical care rank: #16
Health outcomes rank: #8
39 / 50
#12. New Jersey
Score above/below the national norm: 0.47
Behaviors rank: #6
Community & environment rank: #12
Policy rank: #26
Clinical care rank: #12
Health outcomes rank: #18
40 / 50
#11. Rhode Island
Score above/below the national norm: 0.47
Behaviors rank: #17
Community & environment rank: #13
Policy rank: #3
Clinical care rank: #7
Health outcomes rank: #29
You may also like: Aspiration during surgery: When it's a sign of medical malpractice
41 / 50
#10. New York
Score above/below the national norm: 0.51
Behaviors rank: #13
Community & environment rank: #18
Policy rank: #8
Clinical care rank: #10
Health outcomes rank: #16
42 / 50
#9. Washington
Score above/below the national norm: 0.52
Behaviors rank: #12
Community & environment rank: #20
Policy rank: #15
Clinical care rank: #11
Health outcomes rank: #11
43 / 50
#8. New Hampshire
Score above/below the national norm: 0.62
Behaviors rank: #20
Community & environment rank: #1
Policy rank: #7
Clinical care rank: #5
Health outcomes rank: #20
44 / 50
#7. Colorado
Score above/below the national norm: 0.62
Behaviors rank: #9
Community & environment rank: #5
Policy rank: #20
Clinical care rank: #9
Health outcomes rank: #3
45 / 50
#6. Minnesota
Score above/below the national norm: 0.68
Behaviors rank: #14
Community & environment rank: #10
Policy rank: #10
Clinical care rank: #8
Health outcomes rank: #1
You may also like: 48.4 million Americans lack adequate access to a pharmacy
46 / 50
#5. Connecticut
Score above/below the national norm: 0.70
Behaviors rank: #4
Community & environment rank: #15
Policy rank: #6
Clinical care rank: #4
Health outcomes rank: #10
47 / 50
#4. Utah
Score above/below the national norm: 0.73
Behaviors rank: #1
Community & environment rank: #9
Policy rank: #35
Clinical care rank: #6
Health outcomes rank: #2
48 / 50
#3. Vermont
Score above/below the national norm: 0.79
Behaviors rank: #10
Community & environment rank: #2
Policy rank: #2
Clinical care rank: #2
Health outcomes rank: #14
49 / 50
#2. Hawaii
Score above/below the national norm: 0.85
Behaviors rank: #5
Community & environment rank: #4
Policy rank: #4
Clinical care rank: #3
Health outcomes rank: #4
50 / 50
#1. Massachusetts
Score above/below the national norm: 0.92
Behaviors rank: #3
Community & environment rank: #3
Policy rank: #1
Clinical care rank: #1
Health outcomes rank: #9
You may also like: How stress shapes cancer's course
