The national study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that the least healthy counties tend to be poor and rural while the healthiest tend to be urban or suburban and upper-income.
The study ranked the overall health of the counties in all 50 states.
After Chittenden, Vermont’s healthiest counties were Addison, Washington and Lamoille. Before Essex, the least healthy counties are Orange, Rutland and Windsor.
The report compares a variety of factors such as childhood poverty and people hospitalized for preventable conditions.