For example, the least healthy counties have twice the premature death rate--measured by years lost before the age of 75--as the healthiest counties, according to a new ranking. If you just cite the overall rate, you miss what's happening in, say, Menominee County, Wisconsin.
The state you live in matters, and the county you live in matters more. Which is why the latest County Health Rankings, developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, are so valuable. They provide a detailed picture of health for 3,000-plus counties, measuring both outcomes (like premature death) and factors that cause these outcomes. They allow communities to understand how they're performing health-wise, and what's driving that performance.