FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQs about the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the County Health
Rankings & Roadmaps. More information is available online at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS
1. Why rank counties’ health?
The County Health Rankings help counties see where they are doing well and where
improvement is needed. By making this information easy to use and putting it at people’s
fingertips, leaders and advocates in the fields of public health and health care, business,
education, and government can all see what barriers prevent good health and work together to
lift them.
2. How do you rank counties’ health?
The County Health Rankings project assigns ranks for counties’ health based on two sets of
measures:
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Health outcomes (length and quality of life)
Health factors (health behaviors, access to and quality of clinical care, social, and
economic factors and the physical environment)
3. Why do you look at health factors?
Having health insurance and good medical care is important, but much of what influences our
health happens outside the doctor’s office—from our access to healthy food or opportunities for
physical activity, to education and jobs. The County Health Rankings help everyone see how
where we live, learn, work, and play matters to our health.
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps is a collaboration
between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute .
4. Can I compare counties across the nation as well as within a state?
The purpose of County Health Rankings is to compare counties within states. However, the
Rankings also include national benchmarks for many of the measures, so communities can also
see how they compare to the top performing counties nationally. It is not appropriate to
compare the Rankings across states but many individual measures are comparable across states.
5. Why don’t you rank the states as well as the counties?
The purpose of County Health Rankings is to let people compare the overall health of their
county with the health of the rest of the counties in their state. America's Health RankingsTM is a
valuable resource for those interested in ranking the health of states.
6. How often do you rank counties’ health?
The Rankings were first released in 2010 and are updated on an annual basis.
COUNTY HEALTH ROADMAPS
1. What are the Roadmaps to Health?
The County Health Roadmaps are helping communities bring people together from all walks of
life to look at the many factors that influence health, focus on strategies that we know work ,
learn from other communities so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and make changes that
will have a lasting impact on health by making the healthy choice the easy choice. To do this, the
project includes grants to coalitions across the U.S. to improve the health of people in their
communities; grants to national organizations to mobilize local leaders and affiliates to improve
health; a prize program to recognize communities taking action and whose promising efforts will
likely lead to better health.
2. Where can I learn more about current Roadmaps to Health grantees and
funding opportunities?
You can find descriptions of the current Roadmaps to Health community grantees and
information about current funding opportunities online at
http://www.countyhealthrankings/roadmaps.
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3. What is the RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize?
It is an opportunity to celebrate the effort and accomplishments of communities who are at the
forefront of population health improvement. More information is available at
http://www.rwjf.org/goto/prize.
4. How is a prize different from a grant?
A prize celebrates communities’ successes – what they have already achieved – while grants
provide dollars to help communities move forward, often with specific goals and objectives.
Grant funds may only be used to achieve the proposed strategies, while prize funds can be used
in any way that benefits the community.
5. How do I access County Health Roadmaps tools and consultation?
A variety of tools are available online at www.countyhealthrankings.org/roadmaps. If you would
like further consultation via email or telephone, submit your question and contact information
via one of the “Contact Us” spots on the website.
6. What is the difference between the County Health Roadmaps project and other
programs out there providing resources, grants, guidance, and assistance to
communities looking to improve community health?
The County Health Roadmaps project is a complement to other programs focused on improving
community health with a special emphasis on the following:
 Working with leaders and community members from all walks of life
 Focusing on all the factors that influence health, especially social and economic factors
 Implementing policy, systems, and environmental change
We encourage community leaders to build on existing efforts and resources within the
community and use Roadmaps tools to further enhance community health improvement.
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