GRUNDY COUNTY – While the county is perhaps best known for its rich soils and deep agricultural roots, Grundy County recently earned another claim to fame by landing in the top 20 of U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Healthiest Communities rankings.

More than 90 health and health-realted metrics were analyzed as part of the recent rankings which score counties and “county equivalents” using a 100-point system by comparing communities across 10 main categories including community vitality, economy, education, environment, equity, food and nutrition, population health, housing, infrastructure, and public safety.

Out of the 2,800 communities evaluated and 500 subsequently ranked this year by U.S. News & World Report, Grundy County (population ~12,351) earned a No. 18 placement with an overall score of 86 (out of 100 possible points).

The state average for Iowa counties that received a ranking was 68, while the national average was 48. Grundy County was not ranked at all in the previous (2022) report; no report was issued in 2023.

Grundy earned its highest scores in the categories of food and nutrition (87), equity (86), housing (82), community vitality (79), and infrastructure (79). Of the 10 main categories, its lowest score was earned in environment with 51.

The equity category considers income, education, health, and social equity in determining how well all members of a county/community are “afforded the opportunity to live a productive, healthy life,” while the environment category “assesses the health of a community’s natural surroundings by including measures of air and water quality, access to parks and natural amenities, and environmental risks.”

Under the environment category, the report highlighted the low percentage of Grundy County residents who live within a half mile of a park – just 8.6% of the population compared to the national average of 31.7%.

Some factors from the report that contributed to Grundy County’s top 20 ranking include the county’s high rate of home ownership – 83.3% compared to the national average of 72.7%; high voter participation rate – 77% compared to the national average of 66%; access to the internet – 94.8% compared to the national average of 83.1%; low violent crime rate – 97.1 per 100,000 compared to the national average of 255.2; and low rate of individuals with no health insurance – 4.6% compared to the national average of 11.5%.

To delve further into Grundy County’s rankings, refer to the following website: https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/iowa/grundy-county#population-health

U.S. News & World Report collaborated with the University of Missouri Extension Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) to collect and analyze the date this year.

The 2024 report’s top 10 ‘Healthiest Communities in America’ include:

1. Falls Church, Virginia

2. Los Alamos County, New Mexico

3. Douglas County, Colorado

4. Sioux County, Iowa

5. Hamilton County, Indiana

6. Dallas County, Iowa

7. Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

8. Carver County, Minnesota

9. Bremer County, Iowa

10. Morgan County, Utah