San Diego ranks near average for county health in California and U.S.
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San Diego County is slightly above the California average for community conditions that contribute to better health — but slightly worse than the national average — the 2025 County Health Rankings show.
Why it matters: Community conditions — also called "social determinants" — range from affordable housing and well-funded schools to accessible broadband and air pollution levels. These factors can vary greatly across the U.S., creating wide disparities in health and life expectancy.
How it works: The report, published annually by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, ranks counties by the quality of those factors, along with data on premature deaths, low birthweight, and self-reported mental and physical well-being.
- Some are directly connected to health, such as the number of doctors in a community or vaccination rates. Others are indirectly tied to physical health, such as social ties, educational opportunities, work commute times, economic well-being, and the environment.
What they're saying: "The conditions necessary for healthy, thriving communities don't happen by chance," said Dr. Sheri Johnson, a principal investigator for the project.
Zoom in: San Diego fares worse than the average county in the state and in the nation in particulate matter that causes air pollution.
- It outperforms both in preventable hospital stays and primary care physicians per capita.
- San Diego's share of children in poverty (12%) ranked below the national average (16%) and state average (15%).
- Imperial County ranked lowest in the state, and many Central Valley counties also fared poorly.