Sarasota ranks as healthiest county in Tampa Bay area

The better a community's economic outlook, the healthier its people.

• That's the main takeaway from new county health rankings released this week by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

Zoom in: Sarasota County is the healthiest county in the Tampa Bay area, according to the comprehensive review of health factors and outcomes.

• Among the county's strengths are its access to exercise opportunities, its low teen birth rate and the percentage of residents who get mammography screenings and flu vaccinations.

The big picture: Generally, most of Florida's southwest coast ranks high on health outcomes (length and quality of life) and factors (things like access to education, living-wage jobs, quality clinical care, good food, parks and affordable housing) compared with the rest of the state.

Go deeper: Here are the fact sheets for the counties of Sarasota, Manatee, Polk, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus.