healthbycounty

Counties with the Best and Worst Self-Reported Health

Published May 2, 2026

Self-reported health status is one of the most powerful predictors of future health outcomes. When adults report their own health as "poor" or "fair," they are significantly more likely to experience hospitalization, disability, and premature death in the years that follow. We analyzed self-reported health data for over 3,100 counties to understand where Americans feel healthiest — and where they do not.

The national average is approximately 19.6% of adults reporting poor or fair health. The best counties have rates below 8%, while the worst exceed 30%.

Counties Where Residents Report the Best Health

These counties have the lowest percentage of adults reporting poor or fair health:

RankCountyStatePoor/Fair Health %Health ScoreLife Expectancy
1Los Alamos CountyNM8.8%99.682.98
2Washington CountyMN9.3%98.681.28
3Falls Church cityVA9.7%93.478.26
4Douglas CountyCO9.8%99.182.45
5Lincoln CountySD9.8%92.983.76
6Pitkin CountyCO9.9%91.494.22
7Broomfield CountyCO10%98.881.87
8Johnson CountyKS10.1%93.680.64
9Addison CountyVT10.2%97.480.65
10Saratoga CountyNY10.3%97.680.25
11Marin CountyCA10.6%97.684.32
12Wasatch CountyUT10.6%84.980.99
13Teton CountyWY10.6%71.487.58
14Gunnison CountyCO10.7%91.182.91
15Howard CountyMD10.7%98.782.49
16Larimer CountyCO10.8%88.580.54
17Dallas CountyIA10.9%98.881.88
18Nantucket CountyMA10.9%99.182.84
19Carver CountyMN10.9%99.182.33
20Windsor CountyVT10.9%90.577.92
21Hamilton CountyIN11%97.180.65
22Leelanau CountyMI11%91.380.92
23Morris CountyNJ11%96.381.71
24Harding CountySD11.1%68N/A
25Orange CountyVT11.1%9479.07

Counties Where Residents Report the Worst Health

At the other end of the spectrum, these counties have the highest rates of adults reporting poor or fair health:

RankCountyStatePoor/Fair Health %Health ScoreLife Expectancy
1Kenedy CountyTX46.5%0N/A
2Zapata CountyTX41%1574.69
3Dimmit CountyTX40.4%5.570.97
4Hudspeth CountyTX39%13.574.27
5Starr CountyTX37.8%12.473.93
6Presidio CountyTX37.6%32.481.26
7Cameron CountyTX37.4%21.176.33
8Hidalgo CountyTX37.3%24.577.31
9Kusilvak Census AreaAK36.8%7.264.99
10Sioux CountyND36.8%24.959.6
11Willacy CountyTX36.8%9.572.85
12East Carroll ParishLA36.3%22.571.08
13Humphreys CountyMS36.2%5.266.57
14Maverick CountyTX35.9%8.472.72
15Zavala CountyTX35.9%5.269.88
16Wolfe CountyKY35.5%22.965.46
17Oglala Lakota CountySD35%7.556.93
18Bullock CountyAL34.9%1670.97
19Deaf Smith CountyTX34.9%13.974.24
20Sharkey CountyMS34.7%8.166.69
21La Salle CountyTX34.7%10.573.21
22Leflore CountyMS34.5%10.565.62
23Tensas ParishLA34.4%21.772.25
24Brooks CountyTX34.3%5.270.3
25Cochran CountyTX34.2%5.371.37

Methodology

Poor/fair health rate measures the percentage of adults who self-report their health status as "poor" or "fair" rather than "good," "very good," or "excellent." Data comes from the CDC County Health Rankings (2024), which uses the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This metric is strongly correlated with objective health outcomes including mortality and hospitalization rates.

Data sources: CDC County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (2024), a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2019-2023). All figures are estimates and may differ from other published analyses due to methodology differences. This content is informational only and does not constitute medical advice.

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