Marathon County Ranks Among Healthiest Counties in Wisconsin

WAUSAU, WI (OnFocus) – Marathon County continues to be ranked among the healthiest counties in Wisconsin according to the 2022 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps.

Marathon County ranked 16^th out of the 72 Wisconsin counties in overall health outcomes which are based on how long people live and how healthy people feel while alive. Marathon County ranked 8^th out of 72 Wisconsin counties in overall health factors which are based on health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic, and physical environmental factors.

The County Health Rankings and Roadmaps help communities understand the influences on how long and how well we live. They provide measures of the current overall health (health outcomes) of each county in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data collected for the rankings include a variety of measures, such as high school graduation rates, access to nutritious foods, and the percent of children living in poverty, all of which impact the future health of communities.

“We continue to use the Rankings to build support for local community health improvement initiatives,” said Laura Scudiere, Marathon County Health Officer. “This helps us to focus on key priority areas like mental health and substance use, while celebrating the demonstrated commitment by our community to improve factors such as graduation rates and unemployment.”

Compared to the rest of the state, the following health outcomes or factors scored well for Marathon County:

• Premature Death
• Life Expectancy
• Alcohol-impaired driving deaths
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Mammography screenings
• Unemployment
• Children in poverty
• Children in single-parent households
• Violent crime
• Injury deaths
• High school graduation

Marathon County has opportunities for improvement in the following areas:

• Poor mental health days
• Adult obesity
• Adult smoking
• Excessive drinking
• Ratio of population to primary care physicians
• Preventable hospital stays

To view the entire 2022 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps for Marathon County visit: https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/wisconsin/2022/rankings/marathon/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot

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