The greatest health strengths and challenges in Minnesota

The recently released “America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report” uncovered several health strengths and challenges in Minnesota.

Jan. 4, 2023

Minnesota is ranked 6th in the country for overall health – a slight improvement from a ranking of 7 in 2019¹ – according to America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report. Below is a summary of the positive and negative factors that contributed to this ranking.²

Minnesota health strengths

Low prevalence of frequent physical distress
Low percentage of household food insecurity
Low uninsured rate
30% decrease in smoking from 19.1% to 13.4% of adults between 2011 and 2021

Minnesota health challenges

High racial disparity in premature death rates
High prevalence of excessive drinking
Low prevalence of having a dedicated health care provider
63% increase in drug deaths from 11.5 to 18.8 deaths per 100,000 population between 2018 and 2020
19% increase in multiple chronic conditions among adults from 6.9% to 8.2% between 2017 and 2021

What this means for employers

Employers who do business or have employees living in the state of Minnesota may want to consider programs or benefits that can help support their employee population and guide them to better health decisions.

Learn more about the factors impacting the health of Minnesota.

The real people behind these numbers are what make the work ahead so critically important. Despite the challenges ahead, I remain optimistic that the health system can rise to the moment to address long-standing disparities and improve the health and well-being of all Americans, for this generation and the next.

— Patricia L. Lewis, Chief Sustainability Officer at UnitedHealth Group

View the Minnesota state summary (pdf)

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