U.S. News and World Report issued its 2022 assessment of the 500 healthiest communities nationwide. The annual ranking uses 89 metrics to evaluate 3,000 localities on factors such as health, equity, education, public safety, and infrastructure.

An environmental yardstick was added this year, designed to assess the growing effects of climate change on everyday life across the U.S.

Bucks County landed at spot 208.

That position represented an improvement from its 2021 assessment, where it was ranked No. 274.

Locally, Montgomery County was deemed the healthiest (No. 83); Chester County amassed enough metrics for a robust position No. 95.

Delaware County earned a score of 63 out of 100 on a smaller-scoped U.S. News scale, but its metrics were not high enough to make the national 500.

A deeper data dive reveals some of Bucks County’s details:

• Health: 79.9 years’ life expectancy (national median: 77.5 years)
• Education: 50.2 percent of residents have an advanced degree (national median 30.6 percent)
• Economy: $91,126 median household income (national median $58,759)
• Housing: 4.2 percent vacant houses (national median 16.3 percent)
• Food and Nutrition: 31.4 percent obesity (national median 36.2 percent)
• Environment: 14.7 days of extreme heat (national median 10.3 days)
• Public Safety: 96.2 incidents per 100,000 residents (national median 204 per 100,000 residents)

More Bucks County community statistics for 2022 are at U.S. News & World Report.