Forbes Advisor today released a report on “States With The Least Healthy Populations,” and they ranked Charleston as being the 11th least healthy state in the country.
The Forbes Advisor team say they analyzed 21 key metrics using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Top 5 Least Healthy States:
1. West Virginia: West Virginia is home to the highest percentage of adults who smoke (21%) and the highest percentage of obese adults (41%). West Virginia also has the highest rate of both diabetes deaths and drug overdose deaths.
2. Mississippi: Mississippi residents have the highest rate of hypertension (43.9% of adults) and the shortest life expectancy (73.63 years). The Magnolia State also has the highest rate of deaths caused by cancer, hypertension, kidney disease and stroke.
3. Tennessee: Tennessee has the highest rate of opioid misuse (3,743.97 per 100,000 adults) and prescription pain reliever misuse (3,190.88 per 100,000 adults) in the country.
4. Arkansas: Arkansas has the second highest rate of chronic lower respiratory disease deaths (60.7 deaths per 100,000 state residents) and the second highest percentage of adults who smoke (18.7%). Arkansas also ranks second worst for both opioid and prescription pain reliever misuse.
5. Kentucky: Kentucky has the third highest rate of both cancer deaths (178.27 deaths per 100,000 state residents) and drug overdose
To see the full report, click here.
