Minnesota Is The 3rd Healthiest State

Are you surprised? Or maybe you're just wondering how Minnesota managed to rank number three in a list of healthiest states, according to Health.com.

Each year, the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association team up to rank the health of the states using a wide range of criteria, including concrete health measures (such as cancer deaths and diabetes rates), lifestyle factors (smoking and alcohol use), and broad quality-of-life indicators (air pollution, violent crime).

Minnesota looks pretty good at third on the list. Here's what they had to say about our great state:
Strengths:
Low prevalences of physical inactivity and diabetes
High rate of high school graduation
Low rates of premature death and cardiovascular disease deaths

Challenges:
High prevalence of binge drinking
Low per capita health funding
Low immunization coverage among children

If you're wondering how other states measure up, read the full story here.