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Ranking the Health of All 95 Tennessee Counties

Key Takeaways

  • In Tennessee, we’re living at 90.7% of our optimal health, slightly lower than the national average of 91.5%
  • The health conditions having the greatest impact on the health of Tennesseans are: hypertension, major depression, coronary artery disease, high cholesterol and diabetes (type II)
  • At BlueCross, we embrace our role in using our data insights to create positive change on behalf of our neighbors in Tennessee.

BlueCross is committed to improving the health of the members and communities we serve. And the data gathered through these interactions helps us better inform strategies for those efforts. The health conditions that affect us here in Tennessee are the same issues that affect all Americans: high blood pressure, depression, heart disease and diabetes. These issues impact our health every day, affecting how long we live and, most importantly, our quality of life.

Given the magnitude of these issues, they are true public health challenges. And we embrace our role in using our data insights to create positive change on behalf of our neighbors in Tennessee.

BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) Health Index

The BCBS Health Index uses 200 health conditions to identify which ones affect us most. It’s powered by data from 41 million members and is often used in discussions about how to improve health, policy and practice.

The index assigns populations a score between 0 and 100, where 100 represents optimal health based on potential lifespan.

  • The higher the score, the closer a population is to achieving optimal health
  • The lower the score, the more a population has been adversely impacted by certain health conditions

Where does Tennessee fall on the BCBS Health Index relative to the rest of the country?

  • In the U.S., we’re living at 91.5% of our optimal health
  • In Tennessee, we’re slightly lower, living at 90.7%

According to the BCBS Health Index, the healthiest states are:

  1. California and Colorado (93.6)
  2. Utah and Montana (93.5)
  3. Idaho and South Dakota (93.4)

The least healthy states are:

  • West Virginia (89.8)
  • Maryland (89.3)
  • Florida (88.9)
  • Rhode Island (88.6)
  • Alabama (88.1)

Tennessee lands in the middle/on the less healthy side alongside states such as Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Arkansas.

The top health conditions that affect health in Tennessee

The top 10 most impactful conditions on the health of Tennesseans

While these are the same health conditions that affect the U.S. as a whole, Tennessee sees slightly higher rates of COPD and slightly lower rates of alcohol use disorder.

County health rankings

Broken down by county, these health rankings paint a clearer picture of where Tennesseans are living closest to optimal health and where we still face challenges.

Here are the 5 counties where we are living closest to our optimal health:

Map of the 5 counties where we are living closest to our optimal health.

Williamson — 93.1
Lauderdale — 91.9
Warren — 91.5
McNairy — 91.4
Cumberland — 91.4

Here are the 6 counties where we are living furthest from our optimal health:

Map of the 6 counties where we are living furthest from our optimal health.

Benton — 87.4
Cocke — 87.4
Campbell — 88.1
Jackson — 88.3
Rhea — 88.3
Stewart — 88.3

Scroll through the list below to see where your county ranks, and click here to learn more about health in your county.

County Score
Williamson 93.1
Maury 91.9
Knox 91.5
Davidson 91.4
Rutherford 91.4
Chester 91.2
Sumner 91.2
Wilson 91
McMinn 90.9
Gibson 90.9
Obion 90.9
Shelby 90.9
Robertson 90.8
Montgomery 90.8
Bradley 90.7
Grundy 90.7
Weakley 90.7
Blount 90.6
Pickett 90.6
Fayette 90.6
Dekalb 90.5
Dickson 90.5
Lewis 90.5
Bedford 90.4
Dyer 90.4
Franklin 90.4
Marshall 90.4
McNairy 90.4
Hamilton 90.4
Loudon 90.4
Overton 90.4
Bledsoe 90.3
Henderson 90.3
Madison 90.3
Sevier 90.3
Trousdale 90.3
Anderson 90.2
Cheatham 90.2
Coffee 90.2
Houston 90.2
Moore 90.2
Tipton 90.2
Putnam 90.2
Union 90.2
Cumberland 90.1
Decatur 90.1
Monroe 90.1
Warren 90.1
Hardeman 90
Macon 90
Smith 90
Clay 89.9
Hickman 89.9
Carroll 89.8
Greene 89.8
Jefferson 89.8
Johnson 89.8
Lawrence 89.8
Humphreys 89.6
Sullivan 89.6
Washington 89.6
Hamblen 89.5
Giles 89.5
Lincoln 89.5
Polk 89.5
Crockett 89.4
Hardin 89.4
Morgan 89.4
Wayne 89.4
Cannon 89.3
Henry 89.3
Roane 89.3
Sequatchie 89.2
Unicoi 89.2
Claiborne 89.1
Scott 89.1
White 89
Haywood 88.9
Lauderdale 88.9
Meigs 88.9
Fentress 88.8
Hawkins 88.8
Lake 88.8
Van Buren 88.8
Hancock 88
Carter 88.7
Grainger 88.7
Marion 88.7
Perry 88.7
Jackson 88.3
Rhea 88.3
Stewart 88.3
Campbell 88.1
Benton 87.4
Cocke 87.4
 
 
To learn more about health in your county, click here.

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