Montgomery County ranks healthiest county in Maryland

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Among the 23 counties that make up Maryland, this DMV location ranked number one as the state's healthiest.

Montgomery County ranks as the healthiest county in the state of Maryland in the annual County Health Rankings (CHR). According to the 2023 rankings, the five healthiest counties in Maryland are Montgomery County, Howard County, Frederick County, Calvert County, and St. Mary’s County.

The CHR, which is a collaboration of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, annually compares counties within each state on more than 30 factors that impact health such as education, jobs, housing, exercise, commuting times, and more.

“I am proud that Montgomery County is again the healthiest county in Maryland,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “While there remains work to be done, I want to thank our health officials, hospitals, community based nonprofit health providers and other stakeholders for continuing to emphasize the importance of improving health outcomes for all of our community’s residents.”

Highlights from the 2023 report include:

• Low rates of physical inactivity: Montgomery County has a 17% rate of physical inactivity, compared to Maryland at 21%.
• High accessibility to exercise opportunities: Montgomery County has a 100% rate, compared to Maryland at 92%.
• Low rates of alcohol-impaired driving deaths: Montgomery County has a 22% rate, compared to Maryland at 28%.
• Low rates of uninsured residents: only 7% of Montgomery County residents are uninsured.

Several factors influence how well and how long people live. According to health officials, this includes behavioral habits such as physical activity, nutrition, and smoking. In addition, access to affordable housing and well-paying jobs can weigh into health.

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