United Health Foundation released its 2023 America's Health Rankings Dec. 5, which analyzes the overall health of the 50 states and this year identifies a record-high and rising prevalence of chronic conditions.
For the 2023 rankings, UHF analyzed 87 measures across five categories of health: social and economic factors, physical environment, behaviors, clinical care and health outcomes. This year, eight chronic conditions — arthritis, depression, diabetes, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease — reached their highest levels since America's Health Rankings began tracking these measures in 1990.
New Hampshire came out on top for 2023, ranking in the top quartile across the categories: social and economic factors (No. 1), physical environment (No. 12), behaviors (No. 2), clinical care (No. 6) and health outcomes (No. 8). Four of the five top-ranking states are found on the East Coast.
Louisiana trailed the nation and has the most room for improved health, ranking in the bottom quadrant across all five measured categories. All five of the bottom-ranking states are found in the South.
The 2023 rankings mark the second edition after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation excluded the ranking of states by overall health in 2020 and 2021 "out of a shared understanding of the significant and unprecedented health challenges presented by the pandemic." (Find an overview of the 2022 rankings here.)
Below are the 2023 state rankings. Summaries containing a breakdown of each state's performance in individual categories or measures can be found here. Each measure can be explored at state and national levels here, and the complete 40-page annual report from UHF can be found here.
1. New Hampshire
2. Massachusetts
3. Vermont
4. Connecticut
5. Minnesota
6. Hawaii
7. Washington
8. Rhode Island
9. Utah
10. Maine
11. Maryland
12. Colorado
12. New Jersey
14. North Dakota
15. Iowa
16. South Dakota
17. Nebraska
18. Delaware
19. Virginia
20. Idaho
21. Oregon
22. Wisconsin
23. Pennsylvania
24. Montana
25. Illinois
26. Michigan
27. New York
28. California
29. Kansas
30. Wyoming
31. Florida
32. North Carolina
33. Alaska
34. Arizona
35. Indiana
36. Ohio
37. Georgia
38. South Carolina
39. Texas
40. Missouri
41. Kentucky
42. Nevada
43. New Mexico
44. Tennessee
45. West Virginia
46. Alabama
47. Oklahoma
48. Arkansas
49. Mississippi
50. Louisiana