Here’s Why Minnesota Ranks as 4th Healthiest State for 2024

The team at Forbes Advisor compared all fifty states using more than twenty data points to determine which are the most healthy (or least healthy) states in the U.S.

Minnesota finished behind only Hawaii, Utah, and Connecticut as the states with the healthiest populations.

Forbes Advisor compared all 50 states across 21 metrics spanning three categories: disease risk factors and prevalence, substance abuse, lifestyle habits and health outlook.

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The Ten Healthiest States in the U.S.

1. Hawaii
2. Utah
3. Connecticut
4. Minnesota
5. Massachusetts
6. Colorado
7. New Jersey
8. New Hampshire
9. Washington
10. New York

The ten least healthy states according to the study are (1) West Virginia, (2) Mississippi, (3) Tennessee, (4) Arkansas, (5) Kentucky, (6) Alabama, (7) Louisiana, (8), Oklahoma, (9) Ohio, and (10) Indiana.

You can see the complete list of all fifty states' rankings HERE.

So, How Healthy Are Minnesota's Neighbors?

Minnesota, it turns out, ranks much healthier than it's regional neighbor states.

• #4 - Minnesota
• #19 - Wisconsin
• #21 - North Dakota
• #23 - Iowa
• #30 - South Dakota

What Makes Minnesota So Darn Healthy?

According to the data published by Forbes Advisor, Minnesota residents have the third longest life expectancy at 80 years. Our state also boasts the fourth lowest percentage of adults with high blood pressure and the ninth lowest percentage of adults with diagnosed diabetes. Only one state has a lower percentage of adults with high cholesterol, and only four rank better than Minnesota when it comes to disease risk factors and prevalence.

Minnesota also boasts what is commonly ranked as the best hospital and clinic in the U.S. and the world -- The Mayo Clinic, headquartered in Rochester.