New Study Find the Healthiest and Unhealthiest Counties in Colorado

As you may already know, Colorado has quite a few health nuts.

In multiple different polls and studies, multiple different counties have been ranked as some of the healthiest in the entire nation.

In a comprehensive new study from the people over at MarketWatch.com, they took a look at 567 counties in the entire country to see which are the healthiest and which are the healthiest.

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Their criteria was based on a couple of different factors: average life expectancy, median air quality index (the lower the number, the better), percentage of food insecure households, the percentage of the population that is uninsured, and obesity rates.

After combining all of these elements along with other considerations, they give each county a final score.

Let’s take a look at the three healthiest and unhealthiest counties in Colorado to see what we can find.

Third Healthiest County in Colorado: Denver County

Taking the third spot on MarketWatch’s list is Denver County.

The average life expectancy is 79 years old. In terms of the air quality index, Denver County sits right in the middle, at 53.

It also sits lower than the national average of food-insecure households at 9%. The current national average is at 13%.

The uninsured percentage sits at 7%, which is just barely below the national average of 7.9%. Finally, the percentage of adults who are considered obese is at 22%.

It ranked 48th in the entire poll, with a final score of 89.7.

Third Unhealthiest County in Colorado: Weld County

Weld County takes the spot for third unhealthiest in the state.

Its average life expectancy is actually just higher than Denver County, at 80 years old. However, it does have a slightly worse median air quality index, at 55.

Its percentage of food-insecure households sits at 9%. Honestly, it would probably be good to get used to that number.

The percentage of the population that is uninsured is 8%, which is slightly higher than Denver County. However, the percentage of adults with obesity is significantly higher, at 32%.

Despite being the third unhealthiest, Weld County ranks at 206, well above the median of 284. It finished with a total score of 81.8.

Second Healthiest County in Colorado: Douglas County

The second healthiest county in all of Colorado is Douglas County.

The overall life expectancy is 83 years old, which is significantly higher than the national average of 76.4 years. The average air quality in Douglas County is 49, slightly above average.

Its percentage of food-insecure households sits at 9%. It is way above the average in terms of people who are uninsured, with just 3%.

Finally, its percentage of adults who are obese is at 20%, which is well lower than Weld County.

Douglas County finished with a final score of 92.5 and finished as the 23rd healthiest county in the entire country.

Second Unhealthiest County in Colorado: Adams County

Taking the spot for the second unhealthiest county in Colorado is Adams County.

The average life expectancy is 79 years old, which is actually the same as Denver County. It also has the same median air quality index as Douglas County, at 49.

However, it does have a higher uninsured rate, at 10% of households. It also has a higher obesity rate, sitting at 30% of adults.

Healthiest County in Colorado: Boulder County

Taking the top spot, to nobody’s surprise, is Boulder County. It’s been consistently ranked as one of the healthiest counties in the country.

It has a high overall life expectancy of 83 years old. In terms of air quality, it actually is just above the average at 49 on the index.

It has an extremely low number of uninsured folks, at just 3%. The percentage of adults with obesity is also very low, at 18%.

With a total score of 96.5, Boulder County ranks as the 7th healthiest county in the entire country.

Unhealthiest County in Colorado: Pueblo County

According to MarketWatch, Pueblo County is the unhealthiest in Colorado.

It has the lowest life expectancy, at 75 years old, sitting just below the national average. However, it has the best air quality out of the counties listed, with a score of 44 on the index.

The percentage of households that are uninsured is also lower, sitting at 5%. However, the percentage of adults with obesity is at 30%.

These combined with other factors give Pueblo County a total score of 78.7, which ranks it 305th in the country.