America's healthiest state has clean air and water, good education, and safe cities—and says a lot about the country's rural-urban divide

(Credit: Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images)

America’s public health report card is in, and New Hampshire has retained its crown as the country’s healthiest state. 

Homicides and deaths from drugs and firearms declined nationally in 2025, two of the key findings in a state-by-state summary of public health outcomes published Thursday by the United Health Foundation, the non-profit philanthropic arm of medical insurance giant UnitedHealth Group.