12 Unhealthiest States for Seniors: 2023

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The United Health Foundation released its annual America’s Health Rankings Senior Report, which reviews 10 years of data on the health and well-being of Americans 65 and older, last week.

The report includes a ranking of the healthiest states and unhealthiest states for older adults based on 35 measures across five categories of health. These include health outcomes and four other categories that are determinants of health: social and economic factors, physical environment, behaviors and clinical care.

Data in the report came from a variety of sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool.

The states that rank lowest in the report compare highly unfavorably with other states across most of the five categories. In the behaviors category, for example, people 65 and older in the unhealthiest states smoke more, don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, and don’t get enough exercise and sleep.

And in terms of health outcomes, seniors in those states have higher rates of obesity and excessive drinking, falls, frequent physical and mental distress, and suicide. Those in the 65-to-74 age group also have higher rates of multiple chronic conditions and die early.

See the gallery for the 12 unhealthiest states for older Americans, and how one each one ranked across the five health categories.

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