Harris County ranked 31st—up from 34th in 2022, according to The University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute’s annual County Health Rankings.
“Harris County is ranked in the 75%-100% group, which means we rank among the healthiest counties in Texas in terms of health outcomes,” officials said in a Harris County Public Health news release.
While Harris County ranked 31st, neighboring Fort Bend County was fourth, Montgomery County was 10th and Brazoria County was 14th. Galveston County trailed behind Harris at No. 46 on the list.The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s report examines how effectively American counties fund municipal infrastructure and assesses each county's contribution to enhance the standard of living of its citizens. The report's goal is to give American counties a road map for assessing their capacity to create and enhance resident health outcomes.
The annual rankings are a combination of a number of factors, including:
- Length of life;
- Quality of life;
- Health behaviors;
- Clinical care;
- Social and economic factors; and
- Physical environment.
See how each county ranks among each of the factors below.
Length of life
Fort Bend County also topped the rankings for length of life, ranking fourth statewide, the rankings showed. Galveston County was the only county ranked outside the top 28, ranking 52nd among the 244 counties ranked statewide.Quality of life
In terms of quality of life, Harris County was last among the Houston-area counties, ranking 66th statewide. Quality of life refers to the number of poor mental and physical days reported by residents, according to the rankings.Health behaviors
Health behaviors include a number of factors, including smoking, obesity, physical activity, excessive drinking, alcohol impaired driving deaths, sexually transmitted infections and teen births. Fort Bend County ranked No. 2, but all five counties were among the top 43 statewide.Clinical care
According to County Health Rankings, clinical care includes health insurance coverage; number of physicians, dentist and mental health providers; preventable hospital stays; and flu vaccinations.
No Houston-area county ranked among the top 10, and Harris County ranked last among the five at No. 62 statewide.Social and economic factors
Social and economic factors include educational and attainment levels, children in poverty, income inequality and violent crimes. Brazoria, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties all ranked in the top 40, but Harris and Galveston ranked 81st and 127th, respectively.Physical environmental factors
Physical environmental factors include air pollution, drinking water pollution, housing problems and long commutes. Most Houston-area counties ranked poorest in these factors, with four of the five ranking outside the top 220 statewide. Galveston County topped the list at 76th statewide.
