MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County ranked among “The 25 Healthiest Communities in America” in a new analysis of health and wellness in 3,000 communities across the United States released today by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with CVS Health.
The “Healthiest Communities” report is the fifth annual analysis conducted by U.S. News & World Report with Morris County consistently ranking among the top. The new report ranked Morris County 16th nationwide and first in New Jersey, just after the county was ranked healthiest in New Jersey in a separate national study released in April by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“This is wonderful news. Morris County is continuously ranking among the top healthiest places to live in America, and as these studies repeatedly underscore, there are important factors that contribute to these findings,” said Tayfun Selen, Director of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners.
“All of these studies cite our excellent economy and employment opportunities. They note the strength of our education system, our residents’ access to health care and healthy lifestyles, and our access to parks and green spaces. These are aspects of Morris County that all of us in the public and private sectors have worked over the decades to maintain and improve, and I believe these reports inspire us to continue our efforts to make Morris County the best place to live, work and raise a family,” Director Selen added.
The Healthiest Communities rankings from U.S. News & World Report evaluate 89 factors that fuel and form the health of residents across nearly 3,000 U.S. counties and county-equivalents. Counties were assessed on a 100-point scoring system tied to how they perform relative to one another across 10 health-related categories, ranging from education and the economy to community vitality, equity, infrastructure, and public safety. They receive a ranking based on their performance as well.
The broad framework of categories and subcategories was based on factors key to evaluating community health that was identified by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics – a policy advisory board to the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – as part of its Measurement Framework for Community Health and Well-Being. U.S. News adapted the NCVHS model in consultation with leading population health experts, resulting in most notably in the inclusion of an equity category.
