How Healthy Is Iowa? A New Study Shows Shocking Results

It often feels like Iowa is labeled as an unhealthy state, doesn't it? Hearing about higher-than-average cancer rates doesn't make us sound healthy.

But much like our weather, it appears things have changed fast and now... we're one of the healthiest states?

At least according to a new study.

The Healthiest & Unhealthiest State in America

The folks at StudyFinds have put out a list of how healthy all 50 states are from most to least healthy.

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Pretty unsurprisingly, the number one state has a tiny, and I mean tiny, population. Vermont, with its under 650,000 residents, was named as the healthiest state in America.

The least healthy is Louisiana, according to this study.

READ MORE: Why All Iowans Should Blur Their Homes

The study used a few metrics to determine the top-to-bottom results:

Pollution levels
Smoking rates
Hospital readmissions
Access to wellness facilities

Vermont leads with a Healthy States Index score of 8.69 and a life expectancy of 78.4 years. It can't hurt that the state is small, and so is the population, but hey, Iowa still did alright, too.

Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash

Iowa is One of the Top 10 Healthiest States

Iowa ranks 10th on the Healthy States Index, landing in the top tier alongside Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Oregon.

We know Iowans like to bike, and apparently, we're pretty fit, overall.

While Iowa has always scored high in education, grabbing the top spot in a different study about high school graduation rate, it's nice to be on a list that focuses on other positive metrics.

We Can Do Better

Iowa isn't healthy in some key areas,

Excessive drinking: Iowa ranks near the top for binge drinking among adults
Obesity: Over 35% of adults are obese, well above the national average.
Salmonella cases: A strange one I realize, but Iowa has higher-than-average foodborne illness rates

After digging into different studies, Iowa is one of the healthier states in the U.S., thanks largely to robust education and excellent healthcare access.

However, tackling excessive alcohol use, obesity, and foodborne illness is key to boosting its long-term health for residents.

1956 to 2025 - All the Acts That Have Played the Great Jones County Fair

The Great Jones County Fair has a long history of bringing big names to Monticello! Here's a look at all of the artists who have graced the grandstand stage since 1956:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin