In New Hampshire, 83.5% of seniors reported good to excellent health. The obesity rate was 26.2%, current smokers accounted for 7.4%, 18.9% had arthritis, 7.1% experienced frequent mental distress, 8.9% noted cognitive decline, 36.4% reported disabilities, and 26.9% did not engage in leisure-time physical activity.Hawaii
In Hawaii, 81.4% of seniors rated their health positively. The obesity rate was low at 16.6%, while 7% were smokers. Arthritis prevalence stood at 18.7%, mental distress at 7.1%, and cognitive decline at 12.2%, with 37.9% reporting disabilities and 25.4% lacking leisure-time physical activity.Vermont
83.1% of Vermont’s seniors rated their health as good to excellent. The obesity rate was 26.9%, with 9.1% being smokers. Arthritis was prevalent in 17.8% of seniors, 7.3% suffered from mental distress, cognitive decline was noted by 8.7%, 37.7% reported disabilities, and 24.9% did not engage in leisure-time physical activity.Washington
In Washington, 81% of seniors reported good to excellent health, with a 27% obesity rate and 7.7% smokers. Arthritis was noted for 17.1% of seniors, and 8.3% experienced mental distress. Cognitive decline was observed by 9.4%, 36.9% reported disabilities, and 22.3% did not engage in physical activity during leisure time.Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s older adults had an 82.2% good to excellent health rate, with a higher obesity rate of 32.4%, 7.6% being smokers, 18.6% reporting arthritis, and 6% experiencing mental distress. Cognitive decline was reported by 11.1%, with 35.3% having disabilities and 26.6% lacking physical activity during leisure time.Connecticut
Connecticut’s seniors reported good to excellent health 81.5% of the time, with a 27% obesity rate and 6.7% smoking rate. Arthritis was reported by 22.8%, 7.3% experienced mental distress, and 8.4% experienced cognitive decline. Disabilities were noted by 38.7%, and 29.2% did not engage in leisure-time physical activity.Minnesota
In Minnesota, 82.1% of seniors felt they had good to excellent health, despite a 30.7% obesity rate. Current smoking was at 8.5%, arthritis at 17.5%, and mental distress at 5.9%. Cognitive decline was observed by 11.1%, 39.5% reported disabilities, and 27.6% did not engage in physical activity.Colorado
Colorado’s elderly reported an excellent-to-good health rate of 82.4% and a lower obesity rate of 23%. Smokers accounted for 8.6%, 20.4% reported arthritis, 7.2% experienced mental distress, and 15.6% reported cognitive decline. 35.1% reported disabilities, while 21.5% avoided physical activity.Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, seniors rated their health as good to excellent 79.8% of the time, with a 26.1% obesity rate. 7.6% were smokers, 21.4% reported arthritis, and 7.9% experienced mental distress. Cognitive decline was reported by 8.8%, disabilities by 39.7%, and 27.6% did not engage in leisure-time physical activity.Oregon
Oregon’s senior health rating was at 81.2%, with an obesity rate of 25.2%. Smokers accounted for 8.4%, and 17.8% reported arthritis, while 7.6% experienced mental distress. Notably, 12.5% reported cognitive decline, 42.1% had disabilities, and 22.2% did not participate in physical activities.Data and methodologyU.S. states were ranked according to eight health variables for people aged 65 and older. These included:Overall self-rated health as good to excellentObesityCurrent smokingArthritisFrequent mental distressFunctional difficulties associated with subjective cognitive decline or memory lossDisability status, including sensory or mobility limitationsLeisure-time activity in the last 12 months, and lack thereofData comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reflects the most recent available data (2021).Limitations: Florida was excluded from this study due to a lack of available data. Self-reported data may be prone to biases across individuals.This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
