Delaware County recently continued its three-year ascent toward the top of the County Health Rankings, and this year it climbed into the healthiest half of the state for the first time.

The rankings placed it at No. 26 based on past health outcomes and the factors that will affect the future health of residents. The county has steadily improved since hitting a low of 41st in 2013, and jumped from No. 35 last year.

The rankings measure 35 different countywide statistics gathered by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, according to a Philadelphia Business Journal report by John George.

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“The County Health Rankings show us that where people live plays a key role in how long and how well they live,” said foundation President and CEO Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey.

“The rankings allow local leaders to clearly see and prioritize the challenges they face — whether it’s rising premature death rates or the growing drug overdose epidemic — so they can bring community leaders and residents together to find solutions.”

Specifically, Delaware County fared best in its health behaviors, clinical care, and length of life. It’s still middle-of-the-pack in length of life, as well as social and economic factors, and its weak spot is its physical environment: air pollution, drinking water, housing, and commuters.

Read more about the County Health Rankings in the Philadelphia Business Journal here, or check out the full report card here.

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