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When you think of some of the healthiest states in the country, you may think of the year-round active lifestyles of Hawaiians or the ski-loving Coloradans, and you’d be right. But did you know that New Jersey can also boast that it’s one of the nation’s healthiest? 

According to Forbes Advisor, the Garden State ranks No. 7 among the healthiest populations in the nation.  

To determine the rankings, the financial advising service compared all 50 states across 21 metrics in three categories: disease risk factors and prevalence, substance abuse, lifestyle habits and health outlook. States were ranked on a scale of 0 to 100 in each category, with 100 representing the worst performance. 

With an overall score of 19.23, New Jersey scored: 

• 15.89: Disease risk factors and prevalence 
• 29.81: Substance abuse 
• 17.76: Lifestyle habits and health outlook 

The top five healthiest states are Hawaii, Utah, Connecticut, Minnesota and Massachusetts, while the unhealthiest are West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky, according to this research. 

Forbes Advisor provided a dire warning for those listed at the bottom of the rankings, saying that “the rate of chronic disease is projected to increase over the next few decades. Between 2025 and 2060, the number of Americans with diabetes is expected to increase by 39.3%, hypertension by 27.2% and obesity by 18.3%,” citing the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The study noted that 160.6 New Jerseyans die each year from heart disease per 100,000 state residents, and that 8.7% of adults have diabetes. 

A representative for Forbes Advisor shared more drilled-down stats with NJBIZ for the Garden State: 

At the county level 

In a separate study, MarketWatch Guides – a business partner of Dow Jones – looked at health at the county level across the country, with one Garden State locale coming in among the healthiest in the nation. 

Bergen County landed in the No. 10 spot for its high life expectancy of 82 years and overall low obesity rate (23%). Three other New Jersey counties placed in the top 25 in the U.S.: Hunterdon County (No. 13), Morris County (No. 14) and Monmouth County (No. 25). 

In addition to the previously mentioned life expectancy and obesity rate metrics, researchers looked at 12 other key areas, including the number of grocery stores per 1,000 residents; the Median Air Quality Index; number of residents to primary care physicians; percentage of adults with diabetes and others. 

For this study, MarketWatch Guides analyzed data for more than 500 counties from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey one-year estimates for 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s County Health Rankings Roadmap. 

“Many factors can influence an individual’s well-being, including genetics, behaviors, access to quality health care and the general environment,” researchers noted in the analysis. 

Overall, 15 of New Jersey’s 21 counties made the list (Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Salem, Somerset and Sussex did not):

• No. 10: Bergen County
• No. 13: Hunterdon County
• No. 14: Morris County
• No. 25: Monmouth County
• No. 75: Middlesex County
• No. 90: Warren County
• No. 110: Hudson County
• No. 111: Union County
• No. 127: Mercer County
• No. 156: Atlantic County
• No. 169: Passaic County
• No. 188: Camden County
• No. 231: Ocean County
• No. 235: Gloucester County
• No. 434: Cumberland County

The top 5 healthiest counties in the country were Marin County, Calif.; Gallatin County, Mo.; San Francisco County, Calif.; Arlington County, Va.; and Maui County, Hawaii. 

“The healthiest counties are generally higher-income areas, with higher health insurance coverage rates, lower rates of food insecurity and lower ratios of residents to primary care providers,” researchers added. 

The unhealthiest communities in the nation, according to this study, are Jefferson County, Texas; Livingston Parish, La.; Orange County, Texas; Cameron County, Texas; and Navajo County, Ariz. 

These areas “have less access to grocery stores, are more likely to experience food insecurity and have more limited access to primary care providers,” the MarketWatch Guides team found. 

Although Bergen County scored well in these findings, the area is not without its challenges. In the county’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment, mental health was described as a “major problem” by 67.2% of respondents. Several recent initiatives are aimed at adding resources for residents, including the new Valeridge Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness on The Valley Hospital’s Ridgewood campus. Additionally, thanks to an $8.2 million state grant, a new network of prevention and clinical services was established in July 2023.