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What are the country’s healthiest cities? Miami isn’t one of them, study says

A Miami-Dade County resident gets a COVID-19 test at the drive-through facility at Marlins Park. The latest US News report examines which U.S. cities are the healthiest in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
A Miami-Dade County resident gets a COVID-19 test at the drive-through facility at Marlins Park. The latest US News report examines which U.S. cities are the healthiest in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Miami Herald Staff

Oh, Miami, you may live a fit life in a fit neighborhood. You may be Instagram ready. But you are not one of the healthiest communities in America.

Not only are you not healthy — Miami-Dade County makes no appearance in a new study that ranks the 500 healthiest communities in the country.

U.S. News & World Report, in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, has released the its third annual Healthiest Communities rankings for 2020, this year including COVID-19 data in its results. The new COVID tools track case numbers, death rates, unemployment and other factors.

The report also examines factors like obesity and diabetes, which put communities at higher risk for the virus. U.S. News is also publishing editorial pieces highlighting the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Hispanic communities, where the average case rate and death rate are above the national average, the study says.

The result? The only Florida county to make the top 500 list was St. Johns County in North Florida, coming in at no. 211.

Here are the top 10 healthiest communities in the U.S., according to the report:

Los Alamos County, New Mexico

Douglas County, Colorado

Falls Church City, Virginia

Broomfrield County, Colorado

Routt County, Colorado

Loudoun County, Virginia

Pitkin County, Colorado

Carver County, Colorado

Summit County, Colorado

San Miguel County, Colorado

The report also looked at the top communities for access to health care, with Olmstead County, Minnesota leading the list. Honolulu County, Hawaii, was no. 1 for access to mental health care.

This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 6:00 AM.

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Connie Ogle
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle loves wine, books and the Miami Heat. Please don’t make her eat a mango.
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