Somerset County Ranked 2nd Healthiest County in New Jersey

For the second consecutive year, Somerset County was ranked as the second healthiest county in the state of New Jersey, according to a report released Wednesday.

Somerset County received top marks in health behaviors and failed to fall below a top three ranking in nearly every other category.

Only one category gives Somerset County a ranking outside the top three. Somerset County received the lowest ranking in the state for physical environment, being ranked 21. The region received low marks for residents having a long commute to work and driving mostly by themselves, the report said.

Somerset County was bested by Hunterdon County for the second consecutive year, as well.

The 2015 County Health Rankings, published online by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, use data and analysis that allows counties to see what it is that makes residents sick or healthy, and how they compare to other counties in the same state.

The County Health Rankings report consider health outcomes, length of life, health factors and social and economic factors.