The Healthiest States in 2012–Is Minnesota One Of Them?

Yes!  And I'm so proud of all of you. Even though we didn't take the top spot away from those pesky over-the-top healthy people in Vermont, we did make the TOP 5!

According to America's Health Rankings, Hawaii comes in 2nd. No surprise there. They've ranked in the top 6 every single year of the survey. New Hampshire is 3rd, followed by Massachusetts and MINNESOTA!

So what do they base this information on? A high rate of high school graduation, a low violent crime rate, a low incidence of infectious disease, a low prevalence of low birthweight infants, high per capita public health funding, a low rate of uninsured population, and ready availability of primary care physicians.

In the "not so proud today" category and at the bottom of the list, Mississippi and Louisiana tied for last place. Also in the bottom 5: Arkansas, West Virginia and South Carolina.

Here is a more detailed look at Minnesota's rank: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/MN/2012