OTTAWA — The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked Putnam County the third healthiest county in Ohio.
The report ranked counties based on health metrics like access to nutritious foods, the percentage of children living in poverty and rates of health indicators like smoking, obesity and teen births.
Putnam County surpassed its previous fifth-place ranking in the foundation’s 2022 Ohio rankings report, earning high marks for a decline in new sexually transmitted infections and prevalence of residents who had their flu shot — 57% of Putnam County residents reported having a flu shot compared to 53% of Ohioans overall, according to a press release from the Putnam County Health Department.
Putnam County Health Commissioner Kim Rieman said in a press release Monday that the agency is proud to rank within the top five healthiest counties in Ohio. Still, Rieman said the agency’s main focus remains improving its own health metrics.
Auglaize County ranked the 10th healthiest county in Ohio, followed by Van Wert County as the 25th healthiest. Hardin County ranked 45th, while Allen County ranked 60th out of 88 counties.
