Illinois NOT The Healthiest State in U.S., Not The Unhealthiest Either

People may be leaving the state of Illinois at an alarming rate, but for those of us sticking around, things don't look too bad... healthwise.

UnitedHealth Group's Annual Health Rankings study used 35 different factors to determine the healthiest states in America. I'm choosing to start the big reveal from the bottom of the list. The least healthy states are:

• Arkansas
• Oklahoma
• Alabama
• Mississippi

and in last place...

• Louisiana

Who tops the list of healthy states?

Hawaii gets that honor, followed by:

• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Vermont
• Utah

And now, where does Illinois fall on UnitedHealth Group's healthiest states list?

Right in the middle. Illinois is the 26th healthiest state in America. The report says Illinois’ strengths include: high immunization coverage among children, low prevalence of frequent mental distress and higher rate of primary care physicians. The weaknesses are: high levels of air pollution, high prevalence of excessive drinking and high incidence of chlamydia.

[H/T MyStateline.com]