Northeastern states New Hampshire (1^st), Massachusetts (2^nd), and Vermont (3^rd) rank as the healthiest states in the U.S., while Southern states Louisiana (50^th), Mississippi (49^th), and Arkansas (48^th) rank as the states with the most opportunity for improvement.

This year’s report notes that more than 29 million adults in the U.S. reported having three or more chronic health conditions in 2022. In that year, the prevalence of eight chronic conditions measured — arthritis, asthma, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, and diabetes — reached their highest levels since tracking for the report began.

The report also shows significant racial and ethnic disparities for certain chronic conditions. During the period of 2013 through 2016, asthma-related emergency room visits were 2.5 times higher among Black adults with asthma compared to White adults with asthma. White adults with hypertension were also 1.5 times more likely to have controlled blood pressure — systolic blood pressure less than 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg among persons with hypertension — compared to Black adults with hypertension.