ST. LOUIS — Two St. Louis-area counties rank among the healthiest communities in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report.
In the publication's new rankings St. Charles County in Missouri and Monroe County in Illinois are among the nation's 500 healthiest communities in 2020. U.S. News & World report analyzed several health-based factors in nearly 3,000 counties throughout the country to compile the list, which was released earlier this month.
St. Charles County ranked highest in the St. Louis metro area – and in Missouri – at No. 82 with an overall score of 67.2, down two spots from last year's rankings when it scored 75.8. Monroe County came in at No. 142 this year with an overall score of 71.8, up from No. 153 and the same score in 2019.
The healthiest community in the U.S. in this year's ranking, with an overall score of 98.4, was Los Alamos, New Mexico, which was ranked No. 2 in 2019. Los Alamos beat out last year’s healthiest community of Douglas County, Colorado, for 2020’s top spot. Douglas County now sits at No. 2 with an overall score of 95.5. Falls Church, Virginia; Broomfield County, Colorado; and Routt County, Colorado, rounding out the top five.
The rankings also show how the Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated health disparities across the country. Counties that made the top 500 had lower Covid-19 case rates in the analysis, with a collective case rate 40% lower than other counties, according to U.S. News & World Report. Counties with an above-average share of Black residents saw case counts higher than the national average, as did counties with an above-average share of Hispanic residents and counties that are majority American Indian or Alaskan Native, per the report.
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