Oldham is the healthiest county in Kentucky. The least healthy? Floyd County in eastern Kentucky.The ranking of health outcomes among Kentucky's 120 counties considers tobacco use, diet and exercise, access to healthcare and other factors. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute did the analysis.Jefferson County ranked 30th. Shelby County ranked third and Bullitt County ranked 25th.The other least healthy counties just above Floyd are Perry, Breathitt, Wolfe and Lee, the rankings said.The rankings for all 120 counties in Kentucky—and for other states—can be found here.Some interesting things to consider from the rankings:
- Four of the 10 healthiest counties are in the top 10 for income—Oldham, Boone, Spencer and Scott. And four of the 10 least healthy counties are in the bottom 10 for income—Breathitt, Wolfe, Lee and Clay.
- Oldham, Boone and Jefferson counties topped the rankings for access to care, but Oldham and Jefferson ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, in quality of care. Casey, Todd and Metcalfe counties were on the bottom.
- Trimble, Owsley and Knott topped the ranking for community safety; Fayette, Jefferson and Kenton were on the bottom.
- Oldham, Scott and Shelby counties topped the ranking for mortality (in the good way); Breathitt, Wolfe and Perry were on the bottom.
- Most of Kentucky's least healthy counties were clustered in eastern Kentucky; the healthiest were clustered around Louisville, central Kentucky and northern Kentucky. In the graphic below, from the study, the darker green means a lower ranking.
Oldham was ranked Kentucky's healthiest county last year, too."This information can be used to frame further community discussions as we move forward in building a healthier Kentucky," Public Health Commissioner Stephanie Mayfield Gibson said in a statement.In Indiana's 92, Harrison ranked 25th, Clark ranked 56th, Floyd ranked 60th and Scott ranked 92—last.Here's how Kentucky's counties rank in health, according to the study. All 120 of them
- Oldham
- Boone
- Shelby
- Lyon
- Spencer
- Washington
- Scott
- Fayette
- Calloway
- Hancock
- Woodford
- Jessamine
- Hardin
- Larue
- Warren
- Campbell
- Anderson
- Meade
- Madison
- Owen
- Kenton
- Daviess
- Nelson
- Boyle
- Bullitt
- Henry
- Simpson
- Hart
- Franklin
- Jefferson
- Taylor
- Ohio
- Graves
- Marshall
- Logan
- Garrard
- McCracken
- Rowan
- Marion
- Mercer
- Bracken
- Mason
- Barren
- Carlisle
- Christian
- Wayne
- Green
- Russell
- Pulaski
- Edmonson
- Webster
- Trimble
- Grayson
- Greenup
- Harrison
- Hopkins
- McLean
- Breckinridge
- Adair
- Grant
- Hickman
- Henderson
- Allen
- Laurel
- Todd
- Monroe
- Carroll
- Bourbon
- Morgan
- Crittenden
- Livingston
- Trigg
- Elliott
- Union
- Muhlenberg
- Montgomery
- Fulton
- Clark
- Butler
- Metcalfe
- Caldwell
- Casey
- Fleming
- Clinton
- Rockcastle
- Lewis
- Lincoln
- Boyd
- McCreary
- Pendleton
- Carter
- Ballard
- Robertson
- Gallatin
- Estill
- Whitley
- Bath
- Knox
- Nicholas
- Lawrence
- Letcher
- Owsley
- Knott
- Magoffin
- Cumberland
- Powell
- Jackson
- Johnson
- Bell
- Harlan
- Menifee
- Clay
- Leslie
- Martin
- Pike
- Lee
- Wolfe
- Breathitt
- Perry
- Floyd
(Image via Shutterstock.com.)
