Tennessee and Kentucky Among 10 Unhealthiest States in New Report

(NEXSTAR/WKRN) – You may consider yourself a healthy person, but could you say the same about your neighbors? A new report offers insight into just how healthy — or unhealthy — your state is.

The United Health Foundation, the non-profit wing of healthcare company UnitedHealth, has released its latest annual analysis of the nation’s health. Nearly 100 measures of health and well-being, collected from more than 30 data sources, were reviewed to create “a comprehensive portrait of health.”

On the national level, the report found that the rates of premature deaths and drug deaths have declined. The rate of physical inactivity also dropped, while the number of cancer screenings has increased. Volunteerism is up, according to the report, but so is the rate of homelessness.

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These factors, among others, were used to rank each state based on its overall health rating. Some measures, such as volunteerism, were weighted positively when calculating each state’s score, while negative measures, like smoking, were counted as negative points. The report also noted that, for some factors, the most recent data wasn’t always from 2025.

Through it all, one state ranked as the healthiest in the nation: New Hampshire.

The analysis pointed to the state’s high scoring in four of the five main categories considered: social and economic factors, behaviors, clinical care, and health outcomes. New Hampshire also has lower rates of non-medical drug use and adults using e-cigarettes coupled with a high rate of high school completion among its residents.

Three nearby states — Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut — ranked just behind New Hampshire, followed by Utah.

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Alternatively, states in the Gulf region primarily fell at the bottom of the report’s rankings. Louisiana was categorized as the least healthy state for the fourth consecutive year. Its low scores across four of the five main categories contributed to its bottom ranking. Among the challenges for Louisiana, the report listed its high economic hardship index score, homicide rate, and incidence of chlamydia.

Other states featured at the bottom of the list include Tennessee as the 44th healthiest state and Kentucky as the 43rd healthiest state.

According to the report summary, Tennessee has a high volunteerism rate, a high number of primary care providers, and low levels of air pollution, but it also has a high premature death rate, low voter participation, and a low number of mental health providers.

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s strengths include the low prevalence of non-medical drug use, the high number of primary care providers, and the low incidence of chlamydia. However, its challenges are the high prevalence of multiple chronic conditions, the high economic hardship index score, and the high prevalence of cigarette smoking.

The interactive map below shows each state’s overall rank, courtesy of the United Health Foundation:

You can see the summary for each state here.

The U.S. on Wednesday was introduced to a new set of dietary guidelines that was largely scaled back compared to previous recommendations (by law, dietary guidelines are required to be updated every five years).

Headlining the guidance, which includes a new take on alcohol consumption, is an upside-down food pyramid emphasizing protein, dairy, and healthy fats. It’s all part of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.