Morris County Ranks in Top 5 Percent of Healthiest Communities in U.S.

Study Released Today by U.S. News & World Report and Aetna Foundation

Morris County ranks among the top five percent of the nation’s “Healthiest Communities,” according to an analysis of health and wellness in 3,000 communities across the United States released by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation.

“Healthiest Communities” is an interactive platform developed by U.S. News & World Report with the Aetna Foundation. Guided by a pioneering framework developed by a committee appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the project scored nearly 3,000 communities on 84 indicators across 10 categories that drive overall community health.

Morris County ranked 20 among the top 500 “healthiest communities.”

Population health and equity are the most highly weighted factors in the methodology, followed closely by education and economy. Environment and public safety, along with housing, food and nutrition also were factors. Data were gathered and analyzed by the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES).

Separate from the rankings, the platform offers COVID-19 tracking tools which report case numbers, death rates, unemployment and more, and have been updated to include vaccine data.  These tools complement the rankings data to reveal multiple correlations between the coronavirus pandemic and community health. Morris County has lead the state, and more recently the nation in overall vaccination rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

For more information, visit the U.S. News Healthiest Communities platform.

ABOUT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT: U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower citizens, consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

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