5. Vermont
Vermont fell three spots from last year but stayed in the top five. The state has the lowest level of violent crime in the country. Over the past decade, the percentage of Vermont’s population without health insurance fell 60 percent.
Strengths: Low prevalence of obesity; low violent crime rates; low percentage of population without insurance
Challenges: High prevalence of excessive drinking; high rate of cancer deaths; large disparity in health status by educational attainment