Wisconsin has again been ranked 23rd among U.S. states by the United Health Foundation as the state continues to struggle with excessive drinking, rising obesity and low levels of public health funding.
This year’s ranking is unchanged from 2018, but Wisconsin has been trending downward for decades. The state was ranked 7th in 1990 when the America’s Health Rankings report was first created.
Still, the latest report shows diabetes numbers and access to mental health care have improved over the past two years. And the state continues to have a low percentage of uninsured individuals, and relatively clean air compared to other states.
Diabetes among Wisconsinites fell from 9.8 percent to 8.7 percent of adults in the past two years. The state is ranked 4th in this category, falling from 12th in 2018. Meanwhile, the number of mental health providers increased by around 12 percent in the same timeframe, though the ranking of 34th is unchanged from last year.
Wisconsin is ranked 9th for its uninsured rate and 15th for levels of air pollution, both of which declined slightly over the year. Read the full story here.
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