County Health Rankings & Roadmaps ranked Albemarle County as the fourth healthiest county in Virginia.
The national county-by-county report uses survey data such as adult smoking and obesity, uninsured, excessive drinking, and number of primary care physicians in order to establish the rankings. Social and economic factors such as graduation rates, violent crime rates and children in poverty were also considered.
Albemarle was recognized for having a low population of people in fair to poor health and for its low number of uninsured residents.
"One thing that’s important is that we don’t get complacent about these rankings," County Spokesperson Lee Catlin told NBC29. "Number four is certainly a great number, but it doesn’t mean there are things we don’t need to focus on."
An estimated 27 percent of county residents are obese. This figure is lower than the state average, but remains higher than the national average of 25 percent. The rate of STDs in the county is also considerably higher than the national average. There are 167 cases of chlamydia per 100,000 county residents compared the national average of 84 cases per 100,000.
Fairfax was deemed the healthiest county in Virginia, followed by Arlington and Loudon. The City of Charlottesville ranked 47.
Click here for the complete rankings and statistics.
