The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, this week released the annual County Health Rankings. The rankings aim to inspire healthy community action.
An article on the Washington Post by Reid Wilson and Christopher Ingraham shares the data visualizations behind the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s annual County Health Rankings. The rankings use nearly three-dozen indicators to measure health outcomes across the country. Just as with last year’s rankings, the report makes the point that measures like high poverty, bad air and high obesity rates produce higher rates of premature deaths.
According to Wilson and Ingraham’s analysis of the rankings, “Southern states are more likely to have higher YPLL numbers. But the most extreme outliers are all in rural counties in North and South Dakota.”
The Washington Post coverage of the ranking includes ten maps “that best illustrate where Americans are healthiest, and why…” The maps include metrics like air pollution (fine particles per cubic meter); percent of adults that a report a Body Mass Index higher than 30; long commutes (percentage driving more than 30 minutes each way); and percent of children under age 18 in poverty.
FULL STORY: The 10 maps that illustrate the healthiest counties in America

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
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Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Idaho Data: Unexpected Vehicle Repairs Exacerbate Housing Instability, Eviction Risk
Over 21 percent of clients struggle with transportation barriers.

A Year-Long Investigation On Permanent Supportive Housing
The New York Times reveals what’s working and what’s not in the cornerstone of Housing First.
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