The Heartland Beats Strong: The 10 Healthiest Communities in America

Where you live might be just as important as how you live when it comes to longevity.

Many people might equate wellness with coastal California breezes or Florida sunshine, but the healthiest counties in America actually dominate the Midwest, according to the U.S. News and World Report‘s 2024 ranking of the healthiest communities in the U.S.

Six of the top 10 picks on the list are in Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

But the Mid-Atlantic enclave of Falls Church, VA, took the top spot as the healthiest place to live in America.

Falls Church is known as very bike-friendly and walkable—and historically significant: This Washington, DC, suburb is where the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

Healthy cities dominate the Midwest, with six of the top 10 healthiest communities in Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

(Getty Images)

The healthiest cities criteria

So, how were the top healthiest cities picked?

The news outlet assessed more than 3,000 counties around the country, based on more than 90 factors across 10 health-related areas. These criteria were identified by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics as key factors in health and wellness.

The categories included population health, community vitality, public safety, environment, food and nutrition, housing, economy, education, infrastructure, and equity. Population health and equity were weighted as most important, and community vitality and infrastructure were weighted as least important.

Falls Church, VA, is known as walkable, bike-friendly, and historically significant.

(Getty Images)

U.S. News and World Report then partnered with the University of Missouri Extension Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems to collect and analyze data from various sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Experts then assessed and weighted the data.

“For population health, that means having low smoking rates, low heart disease prevalence, low teen birth rates, and fewer adults reporting mental distress, among other metrics,” says U.S. News data editor Julia Haines. “For equity, that looks like smaller disparities between groups when it comes to metrics like educational attainment and poverty.

“Many top-performing counties were also bolstered by economic metrics such as low poverty rates, education metrics such as high shares of the population with advanced degrees, and food and nutrition metrics such as low food insecurity rates,” she adds.

The top communities all also had consistently high scores in food and nutrition, which measures the availability and access to nutritious food (though this factor wasn’t weighted as heavily).

These are the 10 healthiest communities in the US:

1. Falls Church, VA

brick house with lawn — This four-bedroom Falls Church, VA, home is on the market for $725,000.

(Realtor.com)

Overall health score: 100

Healthy stats: Falls Church, VA, a community of around 15,000 outside of Arlington, VA, scored high for education, food and nutrition, and population health.

2. Los Alamos County, NM

Kitchen of home — This four-bedroom in Los Alamos, NM, is priced at $948,000.

(Realtor.com)

Overall health score: 98

Healthy stats: A community of just under 20,000 people, Los Alamos County, NM, is home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory and is considered a hub of scientific development. The county scored high for population health, housing, and infrastructure.