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Health Rankings for QC Area Counties

WVIK, Quad Cities NPR | By Herb Trix
Published August 10, 2022 at 10:02 AM CDT
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

A new study ranks the healthiest counties in Illinois and Iowa. The annual study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute looked at factors including diet, smoking, alcohol use, education, poverty, and access to health care.

Of the 102 counties in Illinois, Whiteside County ranks 28th, followed by Henry County at number 30, Mercer is 31, Rock Island ranks 42nd, and Knox is number 67.

Of Iowa's 99 counties, Dubuque is number 18, followed by Jackson at number 43, Scott at 53, Muscatine at 68, and Clinton County ranks 89th in the state.

The study ranks DuPage County as the healthiest in Illinois, closely followed by some other suburban Chicago counties, and coming in last is Alexander County in far, southern Illinois.

Iowa's healthiest county is Dallas, in the Des Moines metro area, with Montgomery being the least healthy in the state - it's located in southwest Iowa near Council Bluffs.
Public Safety & Health
Herb Trix
A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.
See stories by Herb Trix