How Healthy is Living in Illinois

Illinois fell slightly in an annual ranking of the healthiest states in which to live, published by United Health Foundation.

Its new rank for 2007 is 27th; in 2006 it was 25th.

Back in 2000 it was 37th, but ranked 19th in 1990.

Progress is being made on several fronts:

Since last year, the number of incoming 9th graders who graduate within four years increased from 76 percent to just over 80.

Since 1990, both the rate of infant mortality and violent crime have been decreasing.

Illinois is a state with one of the biggest problems with binge drinking (ranked 47th) and also ranks low, 42nd, for preventable hospitalizations.

The Foundation ranks states in 20 categories.

Ranking: Illinois is 27th this year; it was 25th in 2006.

Strengths:

Strengths include a low occupational fatalities rate at 4.2 deaths per 100,000 workers, ready access to primary care with 127.8 primary care physicians per 100,000 population and few poor mental health days per month at 3.0 days in the previous 30 days.

Challenges:

Challenges include a high prevalence of binge drinking at 19.2 percent of the population, a high rate of preventable hospitalizations with 89.4 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees and a high violent crime rate at 542 offenses per 100,000 population.

Significant Changes:

In the past year, the occupational fatalities rate increased from 3.5 to 4.2 deaths per 100,000 workers.

In the past year, the high school graduation rate increased from 75.9 percent to 80.3 percent of incoming ninth graders who graduate within four years.

Since 1990, the infant mortality rate decreased from 11.9 to 7.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Since 1990, the violent crime rate decreased from 795 to 542 offenses per 100,000 population.

Health Disparities:

In Illinois, blacks experience 102 percent more premature death than whites.

In the large metropolitan areas, residents in the central counties experience 42 percent more premature death than residents in the fringe counties.