Politics & Government

Kane County Ranked Among Healthiest in State

Out of 102 counties, Kane was ranked 12th in 2013, 8th in 2012, 9th in 2011, 11th in 2010.

Kane County ranks as the 9th healthiest county in Illinois, according to the fifth annual County Health Rankings. 

The County Health Rankings were released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI). 

“Health is everyone’s responsibility. Working together, we can make Kane County a healthier place to live, learn, work, and play,” said Barbara Jeffers , Executive Director of the Kane County Health Department. “The Rankings help us identify factors that are making our residents unhealthy and understand how we compare to other counties in the state. With this knowledge, we can take steps to improve the health of our residents.”

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In Illinois, Woodford County ranked as the healthiest while Kendall County was ranked as the second healthiest and DuPage County came in as the third healthiest county in the state. 

In the Chicago area, DeKalb ranked at No. 11, Lake Co. received a No. 13 rank, McHenry Co. came in at No. 14, Will Co. received a No. 25 ranking and Cook Co. came in at No. 75. 

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The County Health Rankings rank the overall health of nearly every county in all 50 states. The Rankings allow counties to see how well they are doing on 29 factors that influence health including smoking, high school graduation rates, employment, physical inactivity, and access to healthy foods. 

“While this demonstrates that Kane is one of the healthiest counties in the state, it also shows that there remains much work to be done,” Jeffers said

Out of 102 counties, Kane was ranked 12th in 2013, 8th in 2012, 9th in 2011, 11th in 2010.

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s vision for a culture of health is one where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy,” said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, RWJF president and CEO. “The County Health Rankings are a starting point for change, helping communities come together, identify priorities, and create solutions that will help all in our diverse society live healthier lives, now and for generations to come.” 

The Rankings provide county-to-county comparisons within a state. 

Nationally, this year’s Rankings show that people living in the least healthy counties are twice as likely to have shorter lives as people living in the healthiest counties. Unhealthy counties also have twice as many children living in poverty and twice as many teen births as the healthiest counties. 

This year’s Rankings also feature several new measures including housing, transportation, and access to mental health providers. 

Source: Kane County Health Department press release 


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