Midwest communities are among the healthiest places to live, especially when it comes to achieving health equity, according to new rankings released this summer. But even the strongest communities have their weaknesses. [APHA - The Nation's Health] 

While Falls Church, Virginia, took the top spot, over half of the top 10 healthiest communities were in Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Healthiest Communities rankings released in August. Researchers reviewed over 90 health metrics for approximately 2,800 communities and scored them across 10 categories such as equity and the environment.

“Evaluating community health is crucial as we consider the well-being of citizens across our country,” said U.S. News data editor Julia Haines in a news release. “The Healthiest Communities rankings examine which communities offer the greatest opportunity to live a healthy, productive life. They also highlight that even the ‘healthiest’ communities struggle in certain areas.”

For the first time, this year’s rankings made health equity a key measure. The rankings assessed community health equity on metrics such as racial and ethnic disparities in premature deaths and low birthweights.

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