Cabarrus Ranked as State’s 9th Healthiest County > City of Kannapolis | City of Kannapolis

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The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the 2018 County Health Rankings Wednesday. Cabarrus County improved from #14 to #9 against the 99 other North Carolina counties. While Cabarrus County ranks high overall, this report helps to identify areas where the County can focus on further improvements to residents overall health, including physical environment.

The County Health Rankings measure vital health factors and behaviors in nearly every county in America. The annual County Health Rankings & Roadmap provides insight into the wellbeing of counties across the country, with detailed explanations of each factor that influences health — from air quality to access to healthy foods to graduation rates. It also includes actionable strategies to work towards community health improvement.

Cabarrus County made improvements in many areas since the 2017 report:
•increased access to physical activity locations, 80% improved to 81%
•decrease in the uninsured rate, improved from 13% to 11%
•decrease in the rate of teen births per 1,000 female population from 33 to 25
•increase in the percent of population with some post-secondary education from 67% to 70%
•decrease in unemployment from 5.2% to 4.5%

Areas in which Cabarrus County did NOT improve and/or declined in rank:
•increase in percentage of motor vehicle crash deaths with alcohol from 24% to 32%
•increase in sexually transmitted infections (chlamydia) per 100,000 population, 407 to 467
•increase in the percent of commuters who drive longer than 30 minutes to work each way from 40% to 42%

“I’m glad to see an improvement in the county’s ranking this year. Our community has put significant effort into becoming a healthier place to live,” said Dr. William Pilkington, CEO and Public Health Director. “There are still opportunities for improvement related to health outcomes and behaviors and we’ll continue our collaborative work with community partners.”

Cabarrus County saw health improvements in all subcategory rankings, except Physical Environment. The 2018 report ranks Cabarrus County 100 out of 100 counties for Physical Environment. Cabarrus County has declined from the 52nd spot in 2015 to 100 now in this category. This category includes: Air Pollution, Drinking Water Violations, Severe Housing Problems, Driving Alone to Work, and Long Commute – Driving Alone.

Click here to see the full list of data

About the Program: The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

About the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps:
The annual County Health Rankings measure vital health factors, including high school graduation rates, obesity, smoking, unemployment, access to healthy foods, the quality of air and water, income, and teen births in nearly every county in America.

About Cabarrus Health Alliance: Cabarrus Health Alliance is the public health authority of Cabarrus County. Cabarrus Health Alliance is an autonomous organization and provider of services and programs designed to meet the needs of public health. Cabarrus Health Alliance is a leader in public health and nationally recognized for its innovation. To learn more about the collaborative action Cabarrus County is making to improve community health, visit www.healthycabarrus.org