June 3, 2008 
I think state-by-state variance in basic statistics is fascinating. It seems like we should have standardized around some fundamentals by now, but the variances continue to be significant.
In a recent report out by The Commonwealth Fund, it showed some wide variation:
- Only 46% of kids visit the doctor and dentist at least once a year in Idaho, but 75% of Massachusetts children do.
- Infant mortality rates are 2.5 times higher in the District of Columbia than in Maine.
- Kids in South Carolina are 5.7 times as likely to wind up in the hospital for asthma as those in Vermont.
- The percentage of children who received five recommended vaccinations from ages 19 months to 35 months ranges from 94% in Massachusetts to 67% in Nevada.
- Utah has the lowest spending per person at $3,972. The District of Columbia has the highest at $8,295.
| State |
Overall rank |
| Alabama |
14 |
| Alaska |
41 |
| Arizona |
47 |
| Arkansas |
44 |
| California |
34 |
| Colorado |
34 |
| Connecticut |
14 |
| Delaware |
37 |
| District of Columbia |
31 |
| Florida |
50 |
| Georgia |
38 |
| Hawaii |
7 |
| Idaho |
33 |
| Illinois |
38 |
| Indiana |
22 |
| Iowa |
1 |
| Kansas |
10 |
| Kentucky |
9 |
| Louisiana |
48 |
| Maine |
3 |
| Maryland |
27 |
| Massachusetts |
4 |
| Michigan |
12 |
| Minnesota |
23 |
| Mississippi |
49 |
| Missouri |
28 |
| Montana |
28 |
| Nebraska |
13 |
| Nevada |
45 |
| New Hampshire |
5 |
| New Jersey |
42 |
| New Mexico |
40 |
| New York |
25 |
| North Carolina |
31 |
| North Dakota |
21 |
| Ohio |
6 |
| Oklahoma |
51 |
| Oregon |
43 |
| Pennsylvania |
19 |
| Rhode Island |
8 |
| South Carolina |
36 |
| South Dakota |
16 |
| Tennessee |
30 |
| Texas |
46 |
| Utah |
26 |
| Vermont |
2 |
| Virginia |
23 |
| Washington |
18 |
| West Virginia |
20 |
| Wisconsin |
11 |
| Wyoming |
16 |
Enabling Healthy Decisions 
No comments yet... Be the first to leave a reply!