Table of contents:
Our MissionOur ReportsOur Advisory CommitteesAdvisory CouncilAnnual Report Advisory CommitteeSenior Report Advisory CommitteeHealth of Women and Children Report Advisory CommitteeHealth of Those Who Have Served Report Advisory CommitteeHealth Disparities Report Advisory Committee
Our Model and Methodology
IntroductionRanking MethodologyMeasures, Weights and DirectionMeasures Selection and ChangesData SourcesDisparity Measurement MethodologyAmerica’s Health Rankings provides an analysis of national health on a state-by-state basis by evaluating a historical and comprehensive set of health, environmental and socioeconomic data to determine national health benchmarks and state rankings.
The platform analyzes over 280 unique measures from more than 80 publicly available data sources to assess the nation’s health and well-being on a wide range of demographics including race and ethnicity, gender, education, age, disability status and income, among others. Data is based on public-use data sets, such as the U.S. Census and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the world’s largest, annual population-based telephone survey of over 400,000 people.
America’s Health Rankings releases three state health ranking reports annually. Each report provides a comprehensive look at the health of the population across the nation and on a state-by-state basis using a wealth of reputable data sources:
- The Annual Report is the longest-running annual assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state basis. For over 30 years, America’s Health Rankings has analyzed a comprehensive set of data to provide a holistic view of the nation’s health.
- The Senior Report, now with over 10 years of data, presents a comparative look at the health of older adults.
- The Health of Women and Children Report, first published in 2016, focuses on children and women of reproductive age. This report emphasizes the population groups where health improvements can make generational differences.
America’s Health Rankings also prepares a national report on active duty and veteran U.S. service members. The Health of Those Who Have Served Report, first released in November 2016, explores the differences in health and health-related measures between those who are serving or who have served in the military and the civilian population. All four reports allow users to look at disparities in health by race and ethnicity, metropolitan status, gender, age, education and income for more than 280 unique measures.
In 2021, America’s Health Rankings released the Health Disparities Report. This report provides a comprehensive portrait of the breadth, depth and persistence of health disparities across the nation to provide objective data to inform action for advancing health equity. Building on over 30 years of data and reporting from America’s Health Rankings, this report provides objective data documenting the constant and changing contours of disparities for the nation, all 50 states and the District of Columbia by gender, geography, educational attainment and race and ethnicity. Building on this report, in 2023 the platform released its first "Health Equity in Focus” Mental and Behavioral Health Data Brief, providing objective data that advocates, community leaders and policymakers can use to better understand the mental health disparities and challenges facing Americans today.
In addition, America’s Health Rankings has published issue briefs and spotlights on special topics such as the Preparing for Health Care Costs in Retirement: An America’s Health Rankings Issue Brief, Spotlight: Impact of Unhealthy Behaviors and Spotlight: Prevention.