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Thanks to its strong economy, top schools and exceptional public safety record, Suffolk County moved up 169 spots in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Healthiest Counties report.
Suffolk’s dramatic jump in the rankings — from No. 342 in 2022 to No. 173 this year — was tempered by low scores in housing and community vitality.
Out of the top 500 counties and county equivalents ranked in the report, Suffolk finished tied for No. 18 in the report’s public safety category. Fueling this was Suffolk’s relatively low violent crime rate: 124 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, which is less than half the national average of 255.
Suffolk also cracked the top 20 in the economy category, earning a tie for No. 19.
At $108,000, the county’s median annual household income is nearly $40,000 more than the national average of $69,000. The poverty rate in Suffolk is 6.5 percent, dramatically lower than the national average of 14.4 percent.
In education, Suffolk finished tied for No. 24. The county spends $31,221 per student, according to the report. The national average is $16,485. Nearly half of the county’s population carries an advanced degree, compared with 33 percent national rate.
U.S. News examined how 2,800 counties and county equivalents perform across 92 health and health-related metrics to determine how they serve their residents in 10 main categories: community vitality, economy, education, environment, equity, food and nutrition, population health, housing, infrastructure and public safety.
15 best places for young professionals in Suffolk
Suffolk’s housing score of 37 was mainly due to the amount of work hours required in a week to pay for affordable housing. U.S. News reports that it takes 73.1 hours to make that happen in Suffolk, compared to the national average of 40.2 hours.
Other key findings for Suffolk
Here are some of the other notable statistics for Suffolk uncovered by U.S. News.
• Life expectancy is 79.6 years; the national average is 75.8.
• More than 86 percent of Suffolk residents live within one mile of a park. The national average is just under 32 percent.
• 28.5 percent of residents do not have adequate access to a large grocery store.
• Nearly 30 percent of Suffolk residents are obese; lower than the national rate of 37 percent.
• The smoking rate is 12.5 percent in Suffolk, significantly less the national percentage of 19.
• The high school graduation rate is 89 percent, about the same as the national rate.
• Most Suffolk residents are covered by health insurance. About 5.4 percent of the population is not covered, compared to 11.5 percent nationally.
• Suffolk is the fifth-highest ranked county in New York state on U.S. News’ Healthiest Communities list.
Nassau County, the top-ranked New York community, placed 29th overall in the report. Nassau earned the No. 1 spot in the country for public safety and is No. 3 nationwide for education.
Nassau County is America’s safest community: U.S. News
Falls Church, Virginia claimed the top spot in the rankings with the highest overall score, achieving top 20 results across five of the 10 categories, including No. 1 in education, No. 4 in population health and No. 6 in economy. Los Alamos County, New Mexico, was ranked second, after being No. 1 in the previous three editions of U.S. News’ rankings.
Local health outcomes are often driven by factors like a community’s economic performance, the strength of its education system, the availability and affordability of housing, and myriad other elements that affect residents’ overall quality of life, U.S. News stated in releasing its report.
Top photo: Centereach Park in July (Facebook).
