The project estimates chronic disease risk factors, health outcomes, and clinical preventive service use for the largest 500 cities in the U.S. so that local health departments may better understand the burden the state of health in their jurisdiction, and assist them in planning public health interventions.

The annual Rankings provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work and play. They also provide the Roadmaps that provide guidance and tools to understand the data, and strategies that communities can use to move into action.

U.S. News & World Report, in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, developed the Healthiest Communities rankings which measure crucial health-related components of society with the aim of empowering citizens, health care leaders and officials to make decisions about policies and practices that can improve health outcomes for all.

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the City Health Dashboard offers data on 37 clinical, health behavior, health outcomes, physical environment, and social and economic measures for 500 of the largest U.S. cities representing around one-third of the U.S. population. The Dashboard provides cities with data from multiple national sources to guide local solutions to create healthier and more equitable communities.