SLO County is among top 250 healthiest communities in the nation, report shows
San Luis Obispo County is among the top 250 healthiest counties in the nation, according to a recently released study.
U.S. News and World Report partnered with the Aetna Foundation, a nonprofit charity affiliate of CVS Health, to evaluate nearly 3,000 communities based on 84 health measurements within 10 categories, according to a news release.
Los Alamos, New Mexico, ranked No. 1 in the 2020 Healthiest Communities study.
San Luis Obispo County was No. 226, an improvement from last year’s ranking.
In 2019, San Luis Obispo was listed at No. 251, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The 2020 Healthiest Communities study looked at the following categories: population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food and nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality and infrastructure, a news release said.
Within those 10 categories, metrics ranged from life expectancy and the percent of population with no health insurance to the disability employment gap and average weekly wage.
San Luis Obispo County’s highest-scoring category was “infrastructure” with a score of 93. The infrastructure rating was based off of internet access, walkability and commute times, along with other metrics, according to U.S. News and World Report.
According to the study, only 5.3% of San Luis Obispo County residents have an hour-long or more commute to work and 98.5% of county residents live in households with internet access.
The county also scored high in overall population health with an average life expectancy of 81.4 years and health insurance for around 92% of the population, according to the report.
The county’s lowest-scoring category was housing with a score of 36. Equity was scored only three points higher.
U.S. News and World Report reported that in order to pay for what is considered affordable housing in San Luis Obispo County, residents must work an average of 63 hours per week. The national average is 41 hours, according to the report.
U.S. News and World Report gathered the data for the project with the help of the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems, according to the release.
U.S. News and World Report said most of the data was found through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
While U.S. News and World Report has began researching COVID-19 impacts on communities across the country, the data used to rank the 2020 Healthiest Communities was collected prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, U.S. News and World Report and the Aetna Foundation said they are looking to see how the healthiest communities are affected by coronavirus, Garth Graham, vice president of community health and chief community health officer at CVS Health, said in the release
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to the existing disparities in our health care system that have a significant impact on underserved communities,” Graham said in the release. “Using data from the Healthiest Communities rankings can help create insight on how to better address COVID-19 at the community level, while also helping health care organizations develop solutions.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 10:19 AM.
