Nassau, Suffolk Are Among America's Healthiest Communities

Sixteen New York counties, including Nassau and Suffolk, are ranked among the healthiest in the United States, according to an analysis released by U.S. News & World Report on Monday. The rankings, compiled in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, present a list of the 500 healthiest American communities.

U.S. News evaluated 3,000 counties across 10 categories to determine the rankings. The categories include: population health; equity; education; economy; housing; food and nutrition; environment; public safety; community vitality; and infrastructure.

Nassau and Suffolk counties were listed as the No. 179 and No. 180 healthiest counties out of 500 nationwide. Nassau and Suffolk were also ranked the third and fourth healthiest counties in New York, respectively.

"Research has shown that in the United States, your ZIP code is a greater predictor of your life expectancy than your genetic code," Mark T. Bertolini, chairman of the Aetna Foundation and chairman and CEO of Aetna, said in a press release. "In other words, where you live has a significant impact on your overall health."
Here are the New York counties that ranked among the 500 healthiest in the U.S.:

1. Putnam County (No. 55)
2. Saratoga County (No. 59)
3. Nassau County (No. 179)
4. Suffolk County (No. 180)
5. Ontario County (No. 198)
6. Warren County (No. 256)
7. Essex County (No. 291)
8. Rockland County (No. 309)
9. Hamilton County (No. 338)
10. Schuyler County (No. 377)
11. Genesee County (No. 379)
12. Albany County (No. 420)
13. Madison County (No. 427)
14. Tompkins County (No. 435)
15. Tioga County (No. 442)
16. Rensselaer County (No. 491)

Nassau County earned a 74.2 score for population health, 29.7 score for equity, 77.1 score for education, 89.1 score for economy, 34.2 score for housing, 75.6 score for food and nutrition, 33.5 score for environment, 100.0 score for public safety, 58.7 score for community vitality and a 55.9 score for infrastructure. Nassau County shined in many categories, but received low scores in equity, environment and housing.

Meanwhile, Suffolk County earned a 66.0 score for population health, 36.1 score for equity, 68.9 score for education, 87.1 for economy, 41.3 score for housing, 77.1 score for food and nutrition, 59.8 score for environment, 90.4 score for public safety, 54.8 score for community vitality and a 57.8 score for infrastructure.

To see a full breakdown of performance in all the categories, click here to see the rankings.

The top 10 healthiest communities in the U.S. are:

1. Falls Church City, Virginia
2. Douglas County, Colorado
3. Broomfield County, Colorado
4. Los Alamos County, New Mexico
5. Dukes County, Massachusetts
6. Fairfax City, Virginia
7. Hamilton County, Indiana
8. Routt County, Colorado
9. Ouray County, Colorado
10. Loudoun County, Virginia

U.S. News collaborated with the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) to collect and analyze data.

Data was collected from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Read the full methodology here)

Image via Patch from Cow Harbor 10K 2015

Kara Seymour contributed to this report