2026 Study
50 Healthiest Counties in America (2026)
We ranked 2,956 US counties using CDC PLACES health data — combining obesity rate, diabetes rate, and smoking rate into a composite health score. Higher scores indicate healthier populations.
Data: CDC PLACES · 2023 Census ACS · Updated January 2026
Published January 1, 2026 · Updated April 25, 2026
Key Findings
- 1. Boulder County, Colorado ranks #1 with an obesity rate of 16.7%, diabetes at 6.7%, and smoking at 8.8%.
- 2. The healthiest counties average an obesity rate roughly half the national median, reflecting strong fitness and nutrition cultures.
- 3. Colorado, California, and the Northeast dominate the top 50, with outdoor recreation access as a common factor.
Top 50 Healthiest Counties
Ranked by composite health score (higher = healthier)
| # | County | State | Obesity % | Diabetes % | Smoking % | Health Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boulder County Pop. 328,317 | Colorado | 16.7% | 6.7% | 8.8% | 94.7 |
| 2 | Pitkin County Pop. 17,119 | Colorado | 20.7% | 6.5% | 8.3% | 92.3 |
| 3 | Summit County Pop. 42,709 | Utah | 19.8% | 8.7% | 6.5% | 92.2 |
| 4 | King County Pop. 2,262,713 | Washington | 22.4% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 91.3 |
| 5 | Douglas County Pop. 368,283 | Colorado | 24.6% | 6.0% | 7.6% | 90.6 |
| 6 | New York County Pop. 1,627,788 | New York | 19.5% | 8.4% | 8.5% | 90.5 |
| 7 | Marin County Pop. 258,765 | California | 21.3% | 7.5% | 8.4% | 90.3 |
| 8 | Broomfield County Pop. 75,110 | Colorado | 22.1% | 7.1% | 8.7% | 89.9 |
| 9 | San Francisco County Pop. 836,321 | California | 17.2% | 10.2% | 8.8% | 89.6 |
| 10 | Ouray County Pop. 5,024 | Colorado | 22.8% | 6.6% | 9.1% | 89.5 |
| 11 | Chittenden County Pop. 168,831 | Vermont | 22.7% | 6.6% | 9.2% | 89.4 |
| 12 | Morris County Pop. 510,375 | New Jersey | 22.6% | 7.4% | 8.4% | 89.4 |
| 13 | Denver County Pop. 713,734 | Colorado | 21.6% | 7.1% | 10.2% | 88.5 |
| 14 | Arlington County Pop. 235,463 | Virginia | 25.3% | 8.0% | 7.0% | 88.1 |
| 15 | Wasatch County Pop. 35,808 | Utah | 24.3% | 8.4% | 7.3% | 88.0 |
| 16 | Los Alamos County Pop. 19,374 | New Mexico | 25.4% | 8.0% | 7.1% | 87.9 |
| 17 | Jefferson County Pop. 579,715 | Colorado | 22.9% | 7.2% | 9.9% | 87.6 |
| 18 | Gallatin County Pop. 122,194 | Montana | 23.0% | 6.7% | 10.4% | 87.6 |
| 19 | San Juan County Pop. 18,266 | Washington | 24.8% | 7.0% | 8.9% | 87.5 |
| 20 | Teton County Pop. 23,358 | Wyoming | 24.0% | 7.3% | 9.2% | 87.4 |
| 21 | Morgan County Pop. 12,585 | Utah | 25.0% | 8.1% | 7.7% | 87.3 |
| 22 | Clear Creek County Pop. 9,358 | Colorado | 23.9% | 6.8% | 10.1% | 87.1 |
| 23 | La Plata County Pop. 56,088 | Colorado | 20.8% | 7.5% | 11.7% | 86.8 |
| 24 | Gunnison County Pop. 17,158 | Colorado | 23.8% | 7.1% | 10.2% | 86.7 |
| 25 | Park County Pop. 17,739 | Colorado | 22.5% | 7.2% | 11.3% | 86.3 |
| 26 | Summit County Pop. 30,857 | Colorado | 23.7% | 7.2% | 10.5% | 86.3 |
| 27 | Santa Clara County Pop. 1,903,297 | California | 21.9% | 10.5% | 8.2% | 86.0 |
| 28 | Falls Church city Pop. 14,593 | Virginia | 28.6% | 7.8% | 6.7% | 86.0 |
| 29 | Routt County Pop. 24,990 | Colorado | 23.0% | 8.3% | 10.0% | 85.9 |
| 30 | Fairfax County Pop. 1,144,474 | Virginia | 23.8% | 9.5% | 8.1% | 85.9 |
| 31 | Larimer County Pop. 363,561 | Colorado | 24.4% | 7.3% | 10.2% | 85.9 |
| 32 | Middlesex County Pop. 1,622,896 | Massachusetts | 23.8% | 8.5% | 9.3% | 85.9 |
| 33 | San Mateo County Pop. 745,100 | California | 22.3% | 10.6% | 8.0% | 85.8 |
| 34 | Norfolk County Pop. 724,540 | Massachusetts | 23.5% | 9.0% | 9.3% | 85.4 |
| 35 | Nantucket County Pop. 14,299 | Massachusetts | 26.9% | 7.2% | 9.1% | 85.3 |
| 36 | San Miguel County Pop. 8,026 | Colorado | 26.3% | 7.1% | 9.8% | 85.1 |
| 37 | Western Connecticut Planning Region Pop. 621,232 | Connecticut | 25.6% | 8.5% | 8.7% | 85.1 |
| 38 | Mineral County Pop. 799 | Colorado | 25.1% | 7.3% | 10.5% | 85.0 |
| 39 | Alameda County Pop. 1,651,949 | California | 22.5% | 10.1% | 9.2% | 84.9 |
| 40 | Lake County Pop. 7,411 | Colorado | 23.9% | 8.4% | 10.2% | 84.8 |
| 41 | Hinsdale County Pop. 939 | Colorado | 23.9% | 10.0% | 8.4% | 84.8 |
| 42 | Eagle County Pop. 55,374 | Colorado | 23.6% | 8.5% | 10.3% | 84.8 |
| 43 | District of Columbia Pop. 672,079 | Washington D.C. | 25.1% | 8.5% | 9.4% | 84.7 |
| 44 | Grand County Pop. 15,794 | Colorado | 24.3% | 7.2% | 11.8% | 84.2 |
| 45 | Washington County Pop. 130,073 | Rhode Island | 28.0% | 7.1% | 9.5% | 84.1 |
| 46 | Loudoun County Pop. 427,082 | Virginia | 27.3% | 8.9% | 8.0% | 84.0 |
| 47 | Newport County Pop. 85,095 | Rhode Island | 27.4% | 7.8% | 9.2% | 84.0 |
| 48 | Dukes County Pop. 20,751 | Massachusetts | 25.3% | 7.3% | 11.2% | 84.0 |
| 49 | Bristol County Pop. 50,568 | Rhode Island | 26.0% | 7.9% | 10.1% | 83.9 |
| 50 | Bergen County Pop. 954,717 | New Jersey | 25.6% | 9.7% | 8.4% | 83.8 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use obesity, diabetes, and smoking as the only health metrics?
They're the three most consistently measured indicators in CDC PLACES, the gold-standard county-level health data source. Together they correlate strongly with the broader health-outcome metrics (cardiovascular disease, premature death, hospitalization rates) without depending on access-to-care metrics that mix up "healthy population" with "good hospitals." Higher rates of all three drive most chronic-disease costs over a working lifetime.
These all feel like outcomes of community-level wealth. Is the ranking really measuring "health" or just "income"?
Largely the latter, honestly. Adult obesity, smoking rates, and Type 2 diabetes prevalence track strongly with median household income, education levels, and access to outdoor recreation. The "healthiest counties" list reads as wealthy + outdoors-oriented + educated by another name. That's real and worth knowing — but if you read this list as "move here and you'll get healthier," the causality is overstated.
Where can I find county-level life expectancy if it matters more to me?
CDC has county-level life expectancy data through the National Center for Health Statistics, and the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps project (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) is a more comprehensive single source if you want a fuller picture. We didn't use life expectancy here because the data is updated less frequently and has known gaps for smaller counties.
How recent is this data?
CDC PLACES uses small-area estimates derived from BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) data, typically lagging 2-3 years. The 2023 release reflects survey data from roughly 2019-2022 — meaning it captured the COVID-era shift in physical activity but may underrepresent the more recent return-to-baseline.
Does the healthiest-county ranking correlate with the safest-county ranking?
Partially. Mountain West and Northeast counties (low natural hazard, high income, outdoor culture) tend to appear on both lists. Texas and Florida counties often score well on natural hazards in inland pockets but tend to land mid-pack on health indicators. The overlap between the two rankings is roughly 25-30% for the top 50 of each.
What does this NOT capture?
Mental health (depression and anxiety prevalence are in the underlying data but not in our composite), maternal and child health, addiction-related deaths, healthcare access (rural counties can have low chronic-disease rates and terrible emergency-care access simultaneously), air quality, and the social determinants of health — income inequality, housing stability, food access. The composite score is a starting filter, not a verdict on whether a place is "healthy."
Methodology
We analyzed 2,956 US counties with complete CDC PLACES health data. Each metric was normalized to a 0-100 scale, where 100 represents the healthiest value observed across all counties.
Health Score = Normalized Obesity (30%) + Normalized Diabetes (30%) + Normalized Smoking (40%)
- Obesity Rate (30%): Percentage of adults with BMI >= 30. Lower is healthier.
- Diabetes Rate (30%): Percentage of adults diagnosed with diabetes. Lower is healthier.
- Smoking Rate (40%): Percentage of adults who currently smoke. Lower is healthier. Weighted highest as the strongest predictor of preventable death.
Counties are ranked from highest (healthiest) to lowest composite score. Only counties with data for all three health metrics are included.
Data sources: CDC PLACES (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023). Health data represents model-based estimates at the county level. This analysis is for informational purposes only and should not be used as medical advice.