Thinking of moving within Minnesota, but you’re not quite sure where to go? Give Jackson County a try. According to the 2010 County Health Rankings residents in southwestern Minnesota’s Jackson County are the healthiest in the state. The report ‚Äî the first attempt to rank the overall health of residents in each county by using a standard formula ‚Äî ranks 85 of Minnesota’s 87 counties by “health outcomes” and “health factors.”
Health outcomes include the length and quality of life. The report’s authors measured quality of life by “self-reported fair or poor health, poor physical health days, poor mental health days, and the percent of births with low birth weight.”
Jackson County earned the top ranking for health outcomes, followed by Scott and Steele Counties.
February 17, 2010 at 9:01 am
My friends in neighboring Cottonwood County, where Mrs. Lungs and I once lived, are going to be sooo jealous of Jackson County.
February 17, 2010 at 9:08 am
Lake County, Minnesota, one of the cellar-dwellers in the report, responds.
February 17, 2010 at 9:32 am
Why were Cook and Traverse counties not included in the survey? Traverse, especially, because Wheaton is not a particularly small city, is it?
February 17, 2010 at 9:38 am
Looks like about 1,500 people live in Wheaton.
February 17, 2010 at 9:39 am
What’s the population of Two Harbors?
February 17, 2010 at 10:24 am
3,600 noodle. Maybe a little more during the tourist season.
February 17, 2010 at 10:37 am
“(Two counties were excluded due to their small population size.)”
February 17, 2010 at 10:42 am
@Cristina: Oh, duh. (Smacks himself on the forehead.) But Kittson County has fewer people (4462) than does the excluded Cook County (5437). And Lake Of The Woods County has barely more (3985) than does Traverse (3666). I blame Reagan. @justpbob: Easy to count the tourists there at Two Harbors. They all gather around Betty’s Pie Shoppe.