Morris County Ranks Among America’s Top 25 Healthiest Communities
Published on August 06, 2024
U.S. News & World Report Health Study Reaffirms Past Reports
Morris County has once again distinguished itself as one of America’s Top 25 healthiest communities, earning the 16th spot nationwide in the latest analysis by U.S. News & World Report.
The "2024 Healthiest Communities" report evaluated 92 factors that contribute to the health of residents across nearly 3,000 counties and county equivalents in the United States. Counties were assessed on a 100-point scoring system tied to how they perform relative to one another across 10 health-related categories, ranging from education, housing environment and the economy to community vitality, population health, food and nutrition, and public safety.
Morris County has maintained a top position in the report for six consecutive years.
“I am thrilled U.S. News & World Report continues to rank Morris County among the healthiest places to live in America. It’s one of the benefits of the high quality of life that everyone living here has worked to develop and maintain for decades. We have the largest county park system in New Jersey, top schools and educational facilities, and access to premium healthcare, including one of the world’s top ranked medical facilities. Our residents can always be found on our hundreds of miles of trails or taking advantage of our active preservation programs that increasingly expand our open space and protect our many historic sites,” said Morris County Commissioner Director Christine Myers.
“We invite everyone to come here, play a round of golf, go boating, swimming, hiking or biking; tour our farms, attend one of our many festivals, and shop our many local main streets. To visit us is to discover that Morris County is a refreshing breath of fresh air—literally, because we also annually rank as having some of the cleanest air in the nation,” Myers added.
The U.S. News “Healthiest Communities" rankings follows a separate national study released in March by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that ranked Morris County the second healthiest county in New Jersey for 2023. In January, a Marketwatch analysis report also rated Morris County the 14th healthiest county in America based on factors such as life expectancy, health insurance coverage, water and air quality, food security, and healthcare access.
The Board of County Commissioners cited a few measures contributing to the success of public health, including:
- Continued protection of open space—approximately 18,000 acres to date.
- Enhancement of the largest county park system in New Jersey featuring 20,442 acres of parkland, 253 miles of trails and 38 recreational facilities.
- Long term investments in education, specifically the County College of Morris and the Morris County Vocational School District (MCVSD), to enhance skills development, attract business investments, and continuously improve the career opportunities and incomes of the local labor force.
- Morris County is consistently ranked as having the lowest or second lowest unemployment rate because of its business-friendly relationship with leading employers and the educational and employment opportunities created here.
- The commissioners fund various programs to assist the county’s most vulnerable populations, including seniors and veterans, with access to food, housing, healthcare, transportation and mental health services.
- The county has maintained its AAA financial rating for the 49th consecutive year, which allows towns, schools and the county to borrow funds for integral community projects at low rates.
- Morristown Medical Center ranked No. 1 in N.J. for the sixth consecutive year in Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list and is consistently recognized for being one of the best medical institutions internationally.
- Morris County has some of the cleanest air in the U.S., according to the “2024 State of the Air report of the American Lung Association, which again cited no days of particle pollution or high ozone.
For more information about U.S. News and World Report’s “Healthiest Communities” rankings, visit the U.S. News Healthiest Communities platform.
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Photo 1: Loantaka Brook Reservation in Morris County.
Photo 2: Sunrise Lake in Mendham Township.