Monmouth County Ranks Among Healthiest Communities In The U.S.

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Monmouth County has ranked among the 500 healthiest communities in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report, which released its ranking of the top 500 of the healthiest towns and counties in the country.

The ranking was done for the year 2020. Monmouth County ranked 254 out of nearly 3,000 counties in the United States.

You can read Monmouth County's full health report here: https://www.usnews.com/news/he...

Here's why they found Monmouth healthy:

• Monmouth County's countywide smoking rate is lower than the national average, with 14.6 percent of Monmouth residents puffing on cigarettes, compared to 21 percent of Americans nationally.
• 6.7 percent of Monmouth County residents have no health insurance, compared to 10.6 percent nationally.
• The life expectancy in Monmouth County (80.5 years) is higher than the national median of 77.5 years.
• Monmouth County also has lower rates of what the CDC calls "deaths of despair"— a new term that lumps deaths from suicide, drug and alcohol poisoning and alcoholic liver disease into one category —at 38.7 per 100,000 people. Nationally, such deaths are 43.3 per 100,000 Americans. Deaths in Monmouth County from suicide, drugs and alcohol-related disease are still higher than New Jersey's average, which is 35.7 per 100,000 across the state.
• Monmouth County also has higher high school graduation rates than national averages and a much higher percentage of residents with advanced degrees (53 percent compared to 29 percent nationally)
• Monmouth County's rates of Medicare beneficiaries with depression is also lower than national averages, 16.4 percent compared to 18 percent.

Los Alamos County, New Mexico ranked as the healthiest county in the nation, and in New Jersey Hunterdon County ranked as the state's healthiest.

The ranking was based on 10 categories, which included: population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food and nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality and infrastructure.

Monmouth County scored highest in the categories of education, economy and public safety.

“It is an incredible honor for Monmouth County to be ranked among the healthiest communities in the United States. The fact that the County scored highest in education, economy and public safety is a testament to our high-achieving school districts, our small-business community which continues to grow, and our law enforcement and public safety personnel who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” said Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone. “We are excited to continue to offer high quality resources while protecting taxpayers’ dollars.”

“The Board of County Commissioners work hard every day to make sure we provide the best services of life for our residents,” said Commissioner Deputy Director Sue Kiley. “To earn this ranking during the COVID-19 pandemic is an extraordinary feat to all who work to keep our communities healthy and safe especially our frontline health care workers.”

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