Benton County is the healthiest part of the state
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Benton County has the best health factors and outcomes in the state, according to a report released Wednesday by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
- Meanwhile, Washington County ranked No. 2 for health outcomes and No. 3 for health factors in 2022.
Why it matters: The county rankings across Arkansas show a correlation between wealth, community resources and better health.
What it means: Health outcomes include considerations such as life expectancy and self-reported physical and mental wellness, while health factors involve a range of socioeconomic factors like access to care and behaviors such as smoking.
By the numbers: About 15% of Benton County residents and 18% in Washington County are in poor or fair health, compared to 19% statewide, study results show.
- Roughly 11% of Benton County children are from households in poverty — half the state average. About 15% of Washington County children live in poverty.
- NWA also has more access to exercise opportunities than the rest of the state. In Washington County, about 82% of residents lived near a park or recreation facility in 2022. In Benton County, that's 72%; statewide, it's 63%.
- Washington County has more primary care physicians, dentists and mental health professionals per capita than the state average and fares better in its ratio of primary care physicians and mental health professionals to county population than the nation as a whole.
Yes, but: Arkansas still lags behind the national average in many factors. About 19% of residents across the state are in poor or fair health, compared to 12% nationwide.
- Approximately 22% of adult Arkansans smoke, compared to 16% in the U.S. overall.
- The state's rate of teen births is also 73% higher than the national average, with 33 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19.
- And Arkansas has fewer primary care physicians, dentists and mental health providers per capita.
Go deeper: Explore the rankings.