Health Rankings Place Anoka County in the Middle of the Pack

Anoka County was named Minnesota’s 38th most healthy county in a new analysis of residents’ health across the state.

The rankings, compiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, look at health outcomes such as birth weight and premature death.

Researchers also measured counties’ health factors, such as rates of obesity, smoking, excessive drinking and environmental components such as number of fast food restaurants. Anoka County ranked 51st out of 84 Minnesota counties in that category.

This is the third year the survey has been done. In 2011, Anoka County ranked 42nd in health outcomes and health factors.

Steele County, in southern Minnesota, had the best health outcomes in the state, while Cass County, in northern Minnesota, had the worst, according to the survey.

Hennepin County ranked 52nd and Ramsey County ranked 61st in health outcomes, according to the survey.

Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota's Commissioner of Health, said in a statement that the rankings spotlight the ways the environment alters people's health, and serve as a reminder that more prevenative work needs to be done.

“We spend only a fraction of the amount on prevention that we spend on medical care in this country," he said. "We need to do a better job of investing in disease prevention within communities if we really want to improve the health of Minnesotans and get a handle on rising health care costs."

The survey results, released in conjunction with National Public Health Week, can be seen in full here.