Findings 

2007 Results

America’s Health Rankings ™ –  2007 Edition shows Vermont at the top of the list of healthiest states.  This is the first year Vermont has been ranked number one.  The state has had a steady climb in the rankings for the last seven years from an initial position of eighth in 2001.  Minnesota is ranked second this year; it was first in the 2006 Edition.  Minnesota has been first for the last four years and for 11 of the 18 Editions of this report.  Hawaii is number three, followed by New Hampshire, Connecticut and Utah.  Mississippi is 50^th and the least healthy state, while Louisiana is 49^th.  Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee complete the bottom five states. 

Vermont moved from 16^th in 1990 to its current lead position. Vermont’s strengths include ranking in the top five states for a low rate of preventable hospitalizations, ready access to adequate prenatal care, a low percentage of children in poverty, ready access to primary care and a low prevalence of obesity.  It also ranks first overall for its strengths in all health determinants combined and ranks in the top 20 states for all measures except two.  Those two challenges are low per capita public health spending (ranked 41^st) and a high prevalence of binge drinking at 16.7 percent of the population.  See Vermont’s state snapshot here. 

Mississippi is 50^th this year, down from 49^th in the 2006 Edition.  It has been in the bottom three states since the 1990 Edition.  The state ranks well for ready access to prenatal care, a low prevalence of binge drinking and high per capital public health spending.   It ranks in the bottom two states on five of the 20 measures with a high prevalence of obesity, a high percentage of children in poverty, a high infant mortality rate, a high rate of cardiovascular deaths and a high premature death rate.  It ranks in the bottom ten states for 15 of the 20 measures.  It ranks 49^th for all health determinants combined, so its overall ranking is unlikely to change significantly in the near future.  See Mississippi’s state snapshot here. 

Table 1 lists the score and ranking for each of the 50 states.   

Scores presented in the tables indicate the percentage a state is above or below the national norm.  For example, a state with a score of 20 is 20 percent above the national average for that component.  A negative score means the state is below the national average.  When comparing states from year to year, differences in score are more important than changes in ranking. 

Table 1 -  2007 Overall Rankings