By Matt Wickstrom
Oldham, Shelby and Fayette counties are the healthiest places to live in the commonwealth, according to a new study conducted by SmartAsset. The study is based on metrics such as length of life, health behaviors and health care access to determine which areas are the healthiest, giving an indication of the price individuals in those areas can expect to pay for life insurance.
Leading Kentucky is Oldham County, which ranked 163rd nationally. Lying just northeast of Louisville, Oldham County’s statewide ranking was bolstered by the best scores of Kentucky’s 120 counties in adult smokers (15.9%), adult obesity (24.7%) and uninsured rate (3.5%). Favorable health behaviors in Oldham County have yielded a life expectancy of 85.53 years according to the study, leaps and bounds ahead of the next closest in Shelby County (80.33 years).
Shelby’s ranking was strengthened by one of the state’s lowest scores for years of Potential Life Lost before the age of 75 per 100,000 residents (6,682) and supported by above average rankings for health behaviors, helping to mitigate the impact of a low ranking that barely cracks the top 1,000 counties in the country (no. 946).
Fayette County’s third-place ranking in the state is largely due to having a plethora of primary care physicians per 100,000 residents (124), which places it No. 1 in the state. Also propping the county up were favorable scores for adult smokers (18.8%) and obesity (28.1%), helping to shield a fall due to an above average percentage of excessive drinkers – 19.8% compared to a statewide average of 14.2%.
The top 10 healthiest Kentucky counties are rounded out by Boone, Warren, Calloway, Lyon, Hardin, Woodford and Scott counties. Results were compiled by weighing out metrics at 50% weight for length of life, 30% for health behaviors and 20% for health care access before indexing so that higher values reflect the healthiest places.
For more information visit smartasset.com/life-insurance/life-insurance-quotes#kentucky.
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