Unhealthy Civic Infrastructure: The 2024 County Health Rankings Highlight Key Factors Impacting Community Well-Being

The 2024 annual County Health Rankings (CHR) report has named Montgomery County, Frederick County, and Howard County as some of the healthiest counties in the United States. The CHR is a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which compares counties within each state based on more than 30 factors that influence health. These factors include social determinants like education, employment, housing, physical activity, and commute times.

The report emphasizes the importance of civic infrastructure and spaces for community engagement in promoting overall well-being. It highlights structural barriers like policies and laws that can hinder voting and worker unionizing as key factors that impact civic health. The CHR also discusses how access to local news, broadband internet, and public libraries can contribute to a healthy community by promoting civic participation.

Montgomery, Frederick, and Howard counties emerged as leaders in Maryland and across the nation based on these criteria. To learn more about each county’s health outcomes and rankings, visit the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps website. This data provides key insights from the report and allows for a closer look at how each county in Maryland compares in terms of health outcomes.