Study Again Ranks Oconee as one of the Healthiest Georgia Counties

Oconee County remains one of the healthiest counties in Georgia, according to a study released this week by University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The rankings show that how long and how well people live depends on multiple factors including rates of smoking, education, and access to healthy food, a news release states. They also help to lay the groundwork for governors, mayors, business leaders, and citizens across the country to take action to improve health.

Some national trends this year, according to www.countyhealthrankings.org, show the following:

• Child poverty rates have not improved since 2000, with more than one in five children living in poverty.
• Violent crime has decreased by almost 50 percent over the past two decades.
• The counties where people don’t live as long and don’t feel as well have the highest rates of smoking, teen births, and physical inactivity, as well as more preventable hospital stays.
• Teen birth rates are more than twice as high in the least healthy counties than in the healthiest counties.

As in 2012, this year Oconee came in second in "Health Factors" and third in "Health Outcomes." Fayette was first in "Health Factors" and second in "Health Outcomes" behind Forsyth. Taliaferro and Clay counties were at the bottom of the lists.

Here's how Oconee's rankings stack up against a few of its neighbors:

2013 County Health Rankings

  Barrow

Clarke

Oconee

Walton

Overall Ga. Rank Health Outcomes

  44

14

3

30

Overall Ga. Rank Health Factors

  75

20

2

33

Mortality

  46

14

2

62

Morbidity

  57

32

7

14

Health Behaviors

  131

9

5

29

Clinical Care

103 

14

2

48

Social and Economic Factors

  40

45

1

31

Physical Environment

  109

134

65

122

To search for results for other Georgia counties, click here, or compare data to other states.