The 10 Healthiest Counties in Michigan — And What the Data Actually Shows

Every spring, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute release County Health Rankings for all 83 Michigan counties. These rankings draw on dozens of health indicators — from premature death rates and obesity to access to care and social factors like income and education. Here is what the 2025 rankings show about Michigan's healthiest counties, and what actually drives those results.

Two Rankings, Not One

County Health Rankings produce two separate scores for each county. Health Outcomes measure how long and how well residents live — premature death rates, self-reported health status, physical and mental unhealthy days. Health Factors measure the conditions that influence health — health behaviors, clinical care access, socioeconomic factors, and physical environment. A county can rank well on factors (good conditions) while outcomes lag, or vice versa. Both rankings matter.

Michigan's Healthiest Counties

On health outcomes — how long and how well people actually live — these Michigan counties consistently rank at the top:

• Leelanau County: Consistently ranks #1 or #2 in Michigan on health outcomes. A small, affluent, largely rural county on the Leelanau Peninsula with very low poverty, high incomes (boosted by second-home owners and retirees), and limited concentrated disadvantage. Low premature death rates, low obesity, low smoking.
• Ottawa County: West Michigan's strongest performer on health. Low poverty (9.0%), low smoking (12.1%), strong employment base. The Holland-Zeeland area's community cohesion shows up in health metrics. Ottawa health data
• Livingston County: Low obesity (31.9%), lowest uninsured rate in Michigan Signals (5.1%), low poverty. High incomes provide access to preventive care. Livingston health data
• Washtenaw County: Lowest obesity in Michigan Signals (29.0%), joint-lowest smoking (10.8%), strong mental health provider density. University of Michigan's healthcare presence improves both access and measurement. Washtenaw health data
• Oakland County: Best overall health profile in the Michigan Signals dataset. Lowest depression (21.5%), highest mental health provider density (111.4 per 100k), joint-lowest smoking (10.9%). Oakland health data
• Emmet County (Petoskey/Harbor Springs): Northern Michigan affluent market. Low poverty, high incomes, good access to Munson Healthcare. Typically top 10–15 in Michigan on health outcomes.
• Chippewa County (Sault Ste. Marie): A counterintuitive performer. Despite being an Upper Peninsula county with a tribal community and lower incomes, Chippewa often ranks in Michigan's top 15 on health outcomes. The Sault Tribe's health programs and relatively lower rates of certain risk behaviors contribute.
• Antrim County: Small northern Lower Peninsula county near Elk Rapids and Bellaire. Wealthy retiree and second-home population skews health metrics favorably.
• Benzie County: Sleeping Bear Dunes area. Affluent second-home market. Small permanent population, high incomes, low poverty, good health outcomes.
• Grand Traverse County (Traverse City): Growing mid-sized city with strong healthcare infrastructure (Munson Medical Center) and high-income professional population. Typically top 15–20 in Michigan on health outcomes.

What These Counties Have in Common

The pattern is not subtle. Michigan's healthiest counties share: higher median incomes, lower poverty rates, lower concentrations of uninsured residents, lower rates of smoking and obesity, and more healthcare providers per capita. These are not independent variables — they are causally linked. Higher income means better food access, better preventive care, lower chronic stress, more time for physical activity, and housing that is less likely to produce health hazards.

The second-home and retiree effect is real. Counties like Leelanau, Emmet, Benzie, and Antrim have health statistics partly shaped by affluent seasonal and permanent residents who have access to top-tier healthcare and don't represent the full picture of year-round service workers in those communities.

Michigan's Lowest-Ranked Counties

For context: Wayne County consistently ranks at or near the bottom of Michigan's 83 counties on health outcomes — typically #80–83. Genesee County ranks in the bottom 15–20. Lake County, Clare County, and Muskegon County also consistently appear in the bottom quartile. These rankings reflect decades of economic disinvestment, high poverty rates, limited healthcare access, and concentrated disadvantage that accumulates into worse health outcomes across the population.

Explore health data for Michigan Signals tracked counties: Wayne | Genesee | Oakland | Kalamazoo

Data Sources

• County Health Rankings 2025: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Annual rankings for all 83 Michigan counties on health outcomes and factors. countyhealthrankings.org
• CDC PLACES (2024): County-level health behavior estimates used in Michigan Signals dashboards. CDC PLACES