Dec 9, 2010

Vermont Ranked Healthiest State in the Nation

The 2011 American Health Rankings® puts Vermont on top as the healthiest state in the nation.

Vermont has topped the list of healthiest states for the last four years of published reports. Vermont has had a steady climb in the Rankings for the last twelve years from a ranking of 17th in the 1997 and 1998 Editions.

Vermont's strengths as a healthy state include:
  • a high rate of high school graduation with 88.6 percent of incoming ninth graders who graduate within four years,
  • ready access to early prenatal care with 83.5 percent of pregnant women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester,
  • a low rate of uninsured population at 9.6 percent,
  • high public health funding at $177 per person,
  • a low percentage of children in poverty at 12.0 percent of persons under age 18 and
  • ready availability of primary care physicians with 170.7 primary care physicians per 100,000 population. 
Vermont's challenges include a high prevalence of binge drinking at 17.3 percent of the population and moderate immunization coverage with 89.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving immunizations. 

To learn more, you can click here to view the Vermont e-rating report card (or any other state).  

The report also shows that since 1990, Vermont decreased cardiovascular deaths from 401.7 to 241.1 per 100,000 population. These successes indicate that change is possible for all states when there is a united front to make progress on health outcomes.