Westchester 7th Healthiest County in State, New Report Finds

Weschester County is among the top ten healthiest counties in New York State, according to an annual ranking released by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Westchester ranked seventh out of 62 counties in New York for health—which means residents have lower rates of smoking, adult obesity and teen birth than the majority of counties across the state.

The report, in its third year, ranks each county within the state on how healthy people are and how long they live—they also are ranked on key factors that affect health such as: smoking, obesity, binge drinking, access to primary care providers, rates of high school graduation, rates of violent crime, air pollution levels, liquor store density, unemployment rates and number of children living in poverty.

“This is good news for Westchester,’’ said County Executive Robert P. Astorino in a statement. “While we all bear personal responsibility for our own health, the county health department works hard to educate the public about preventive measures residents can take to become healthier and to ensure all residents have access to quality care.’’

Putnam County ranked first in the state and Bronx County ranked last. Nationwide, 3,000 counties were ranked.

Westchester was ahead of Putnam County on a few health factors, however, with slightly lower rates of smoking (14 percent, to Putnam's 15 percent) and excessive drinking (15 percent to 21 percent, respectively).

Westchester County also reports a lower obesity rate than the number one-ranked county, with about 17 percent of Westchester's population reported as obese, as compared to 29 percent of Putnam's residents.

But on socio-economic factors which impact the health of residents, such as education level, violent crime rate and social supports, Westchester ranked lower.

Robert Wood Johnson officials said that the rankings could help a community learn more about what's making people sick or healthy.

“Where we live, learn, work and play has a big role in determining how healthy we are and how long we live,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of RWJF. "The rankings are increasingly being used by community leaders to help them identify challenges and take action in a variety of ways to improve residents’ health."

View the rankings and interactive mapping features at: www.countyhealthrankings.org.

Editor's note: This story originally stated Westchester as the ninth healthiest county; we have fixed the copy and regret the error.