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Executive BriefIntroductionNational HighlightsFindingsHealth OutcomesSocial and Economic FactorsBehaviorsClinical CareState RankingsNational SummaryState Summaries
Alabama
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District of Columbia
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US SummaryAppendixMeasures Table – WomenMeasures Table – ChildrenData Source DescriptionsMethodology
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingUS SummaryAppendixMeasures Table – WomenMeasures Table – ChildrenData Source DescriptionsMethodologyWomen and children have faced unique challenges across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of their health in the years leading up to the pandemic influenced the pandemic’s impact. The rankings included in this year’s Health of Women and Children Report — the first ranking analysis of this report since 2019 — are derived from 84 measures across five categories of health: social and economic factors, physical environment, behaviors, clinical care and health outcomes. For a detailed description of how the overall rank is calculated, see Methodology.
The U.S. map displays the 2022 rankings shaded by quintile. The healthiest states for women and children are in the Northeast, West and Midwest. The states with the most health challenges are in the South and Southwest.
Minnesota Ranks No. 1
Minnesota is the healthiest state in this year’s report, and the healthiest for both women and children. It ranks among the top five states in social and economic factors (No. 3), physical environment (No. 5), behaviors (No. 1) and health outcomes (No. 3). Minnesota is No. 12 in clinical care.
- Strengths: High percentage of youth who are flourishing, high percentage of infants exclusively breastfed for six months and high percentage of female college graduates.
- Challenges: High prevalence of excessive drinking among women, high racial disparity between American Indian/Alaska Native and white children in poverty and low prevalence of dental care among children.
Massachusetts (No. 2), Vermont (No. 3), New Jersey (No. 4) and Utah (No. 5) complete the top five healthiest states.
Louisiana Ranks No. 50
Louisiana is the least healthy state in this year’s report, and for both women and children. It ranks in the bottom five states in social and economic factors (No. 50), physical environment (No. 48), behaviors (No. 50) and health outcomes (No. 49). Louisiana is No. 38 in clinical care.
- Strengths: Low prevalence of illicit drug use among youth, high prevalence of ADD/ADHD treatment and high prevalence of well-woman visits.
- Challenges: High infant mortality rate, low percentage of female college graduates and low prevalence of food sufficiency among children.
Arkansas (No. 49), Mississippi (No. 48), Oklahoma (No. 47) and Alabama (No. 46) complete the five least healthy states.
This graph displays the states in order of rank. The green bars represent states scoring healthier than the U.S. average (above zero), while gold bars represent states scoring less healthy than the U.S. average (below zero). The distance between bars indicates the difference between state scores. For example, Arkansas (No. 49) and Mississippi (No. 48) have a large difference in score, making it difficult for Arkansas to move up in the rankings. There is also a large gap in score between Vermont (No. 3) and the next highest state, Massachusetts (No. 2).
To further explore state-level data, see Explore Data. The website features a summary for each state and the District of Columbia that is available for download. Each summary describes state-specific strengths, challenges, trends and rankings for individual measures, allowing users to identify which measures positively or negatively influenced their state’s overall rank. This can be visualized using the Core Measure Impact graph by selecting a state in Explore Data. The website also features an Adjust My Rank tool that allows users to explore how progress and challenges across key measures can impact a state’s overall rank.