Four NJ counties are among the healthiest in the country

Here’s another feather in New Jersey’s cap: four of our counties rank among the healthiest in the nation. All four are in the top 25.

The rankings were compiled by Market Watch. Here’s a thumbnail description of how they arrived at their results:

To find the healthiest and unhealthiest counties in America, the Marketwatch Guides team looked at factors that affect health, such as air pollution, grocery stores, income and preventable hospitalization rates. These factors can lead to increased doctor visits and ultimately have an impact on quality of life factors that may affect health and life insurance rates.

The New Jersey counties that made the cut are Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, and Monmouth.

Bergen County ranks 10th out of the 579 counties they surveyed (that includes 15 in New Jersey).

Bergen County scored a 95 (out of 100), with a life expectancy of 82 years, few food insecure households, and a median income of $114,336.

Next is Hunterdon County, coming in at #13; it has good access to healthcare, low food insecurity, and a median income of $142,518.

Right behind is Morris County at 14. They got a score of 94.5 and have a life expectancy of 82 years and a low incidence of preventable hospitalizations. The median income in Morris County is $131,975.

Also in the top 25 is Monmouth County; its score was 92 and a life expectancy of 80 years. Like the other New Jersey counties, it has a low incidence of food insecurity. It also has a relatively low obesity rate of 22%.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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