Tech

These are the 10 unhealthiest states in the US

Rebecca Harrington

2015-12-11T12:00:00Z

The verdict is in for the unhealthiest states in the US for 2015, and they're almost all in the south.

Every year since 1990, the United Health Foundation has released America's Health Rankings. For the last four years in a row, Hawaii has claimed the top spot.

The 11 healthiest states are shown in the lightest blue on the map below; the 10 unhealthiest states are in dark navy.

State_public_health_statistics___Comparative_reports___America_s_Health_Rankings

The rankings include data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, and the Census Bureau. They take into account dozens of measures including rates of smoking, obesity, drug deaths, education, violent crime, pollution, childhood poverty, infectious disease, and infant mortality.

As a nation, cardiovascular deaths and violent crime have decreased over the last decade, but the number of children in poverty increased.

You can see the full list of state rankings here, but we've compiled some information on the 10 unhealthiest states in the US.

Here they are, ranked from tenth-worst to No. 1 worst in the nation.

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/IN">10. Indiana</a> has some of the lowest public health funding and some of the worst pollution in the country.

cars traffic indianapolis air pollution — Motorists leave the city of Indianapolis during rush hour. Darron Cummings/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/SC">9. South Carolina</a> has one of the lowest incomes per capita, and many teens in the state are not getting the recommended immunizations.

shot vaccine walgreen's — Walgreen's pharmacy manager Whitney Workman injects a costumer with the seasonal flu vaccine in Columbia, S.C. Mary Ann Chastain/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/TN">8. Tennessee</a> has the lowest HPV vaccination rate for women and the most days where people report poor mental health.

sleeping waiting eye exams patients tennessee — Patients wait in the hall for eye exams in Maynardville, Tenn. from nonprofit organization Remote Area Medical, whose volunteers offer free health care to the uninsured, the underinsured and the desperate. Wade Payne/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/KY">7. Kentucky</a> has the highest rate of cancer deaths.

alex's lemonade stand kentucky derby — Liz Scott, left, helps out behind Alex's Lemonade Stand in the paddock area during Kentucky Derby day festivities at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Liz's daughter Alex, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of pediatric cancer, started the lemonade stand to help raise funds for her hospital. Amy Sancetta/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/OK">6. Oklahoma</a> ranks near the bottom in the number of physicians per resident and near the top in the rate of cardiovascular death.

oklahoma blood pressure doctors — Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis gets his blood pressure checked following the announcement on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015 of a $3.8 million grant to help reduce the shortage of physicians in rural areas. Sue Ogrocki/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/AL">5. Alabama</a> has the highest rates of cholesterol.

alabama tailgate burgers football — Tailgating Auburn football fans cookout before the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, in Auburn, Ala. Gerald Herbert/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/WV">4. West Virginia</a> has the worst heart health and the highest concentration of smokers.

west virginia man smoking smoker — A man takes a drag from his cigarette during a break from work in Charleston, W.Va. Jeff Gentner/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/AR">3. Arkansas</a> has the highest obesity rate and the most teenage pregnancies.

grilled cheese eating competition arkansas state fair — A grilled cheese eating competition at the Arkansas State Fair in Little Rock, Ark. Brian Chilson/AP

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/MS">2. Mississippi</a> has the highest rate of infant death, and residents eat the fewest vegetables.

mississippi fried seafood biloxi — A man serves up a plate of fried seafood in Biloxi, Miss. Southern Foodways Alliance / Flickr

<a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/LA">1. Louisiana</a> has the highest number of children in poverty and the highest rate of infectious diseases. It was the nation's unhealthiest state in 2015.

louisiana flood waters family walking — A family walks through the in floodwaters of a tropical storm in Jean Lafitte, La. Gerald Herbert/AP

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