Of the more than 3,000 U.S. counties and county-equivalents in the nation, seven in Indiana were ranked among the 500 healthiest in a 2024 report released by U.S. News and World Report. Hamilton County, situated in the center of Indiana just north of the state’s capital, secured the number 5 spot for 2024.
The annual data is collected and analyzed to measure how well American communities are performing in terms of factors that drive overall health among residents. This information can be a valuable tool in helping community leaders identify strengths and weaknesses and utilize resources as necessary to improve overall healthier outcomes.
The seven Indiana counties that ranked in the report’s 500 Healthiest Communities for 2024 are: Hamilton (5), Boone (69), Hancock (117), Hendricks (126), Warrick (227), Johnson (336), and Dubois (480).
Ranking Methodology
Rankings in the report are based on measurements of societal influences for each area. U.S. News used a framework developed by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. The structure outlines categories and subcategories that help paint the picture of health in each community. Overall, the organization studied 92 metrics in 10 categories to determine the scores.
Using the framework, U.S. News partnered with experts in population health and well-being to develop a weighted scale for each category. Factors that impact health more than others fall into more heavily weighted categories. Each category is then scored from zero to 100 points to calculate an overall score and ranking, taking into consideration the weighted scale.
The categories and their percentage of weight are: Population Health (14.15%), Equity (12.23%), Education (12.15%), Economy (11.08%), Housing (9.46%), Food & Nutrition (8.77%), Environment (8.62%), Public Safety (8.46%), Community Vitality (7.62%), and Infrastructure (7.46%).
Data for metrics in each of the categories was collected from public data distributed by nationally recognized sources including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Census Bureau, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Indiana’s Outcomes
With an impressive overall score of 756, Hamilton County ranked fifth of the top 500 healthiest communities in the 2024 report. The county received a score of 85 points in the heaviest-weighted category -- population health, which looks at factors including access to care, mental health, and health behaviors, outcomes and conditions. Hamilton’s highest score was in the Economy category at 93 points. As the fourth heaviest weight of the 10 categories, Economy analyzed factors including employment, income and opportunity.
Hamilton also scored above average in Equity (71), Education (71), Food & Nutrition (83), Public Safety (77), Community Vitality (73), and Infrastructure (87). The county’s lowest scores were in Housing (67) and Environment (49).
Hamilton fell below the top-ranked U.S. community by only 56 points out of a possible 1,000 points. Falls Church City in Virginia topped the list with a combined ranking score of 812. The Virginia community’s Economy score was 96, only slightly higher than Hamilton’s. Hamilton had higher scores in Equity, Housing, and Community Vitality with Falls Church City earning 62, 56, and 72, respectively.
Hamilton’s neighboring county, Boone, also ranked in the top 100 in the report. At 69th on the list, Boone received an overall score of 697. While Boone’s more heavily weighted categories fell shorter than Hamilton’s, the county received a high 79-point score in both the lowest weighted categories -- Infrastructure and Community Vitality, which considers community stability and social capital. Other areas where Boone scored high were Food & Nutrition (80) and Economy (83). Boone’s lowest scores were in Environment (41) and Education (57).
Hancock County’s impressive 91-point score in Equity, the second heaviest-weight category, helped boost the county to 117th on the list. The category analyzes equity across education, social, income and health. Hancock also did well in Infrastructure, Economy and Food & Nutrition. Hancock received an overall score of 610 with notable lower scores in education (55) and environment (46.)
Hendricks County followed Hancock closely, ranking 126 out of the 500 communities on the list. As the fourth healthiest community in Indiana according to the report, Hendricks received an overall score of 675, scoring high in Economy (80), Infrastructure (79) and Food & Nutrition (76). Hendricks’ lower scores were in Equity (57) and Environment (46).
While the four healthiest communities in Indiana surround the bustling area near the state’s capital of Indianapolis, Warrick County in the southwest corner of the state made the national list at 227. With an overall point value of 650, just 25 points lower than Hendricks’ score, Warrick scored highest in Equity (82) and lowest in Environment (28).
Just south of the state capital, Johnson County placed 336 on the U.S. News healthiest communities list. Johnson scored higher in Equity (81) and lowest in Environment (44). Dubois County just made the list in the 480th spot, with a high score in Community Vitality (72) and the lowest score in Environment (52).
