Report Indicator

The 2023 data on drinking water quality are now available. This indicator reports the presence or absence of one or more health-based violations in community water systems that serve the population. Data were obtained from the 2023 Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and are used in the 2025 County Health Rankings.

Estimates were revised for five Massachsuetts chronic disease indicators. These data were produced by Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) using Electronic Health Records (EHR) from MDPHnet. Affected indicators:

• Chronic Conditions – Asthma Prevalence (Electronic Health Records)*
• Chronic Conditions – Diabetes Prevalence (Electronic Health Records)*
• Chronic Conditions – Hypertension Prevalence (Electronic Health Records)*
• Chronic Conditions – Obesity Prevalence (Electronic Health Records)*
• Health Behaviors – Smoking Prevalence (Electronic Health Records)*

The 2020 census self-response rate reports the percentage of all households that responded by internet, paper questionnaire, or telephone. Data were sourced from the Census Operational Quality Metrics and are used in the 2025 County Health Rankings. Note that estimates may differ slightly from original sources due to back-calculations using ACS housing unit data, and Connecticut planning regions report only rates due to boundary differences.

A new indicator reporting information about the primary language spoken at home by the population aged 5 and older in limited-English households has been added to the report tool.

Note: Data for this indicator are based on tabulations of just 12 language groups, most of which combine many languages. A more detailed list of languages spoken in Massachusetts is available in the state report, however county and sub-county information are only available for the 12 language groups reported in the American Community Survey.

Additionally, the American Community Survey (ACS) collects information on spoken languages, not written languages. For example, “Chinese” could mean either Traditional or Simplified Chinese. The ACS also recodes responses so that anyone who reports using American Sign Language at home is counted as speaking English, even though they are unrelated languages. Accurate data on language use informs resources for better language access to important government information, public health resources, healthcare services and more.

The updated Food Environment Index data are now available. This indicator reflects the overall food environment in terms of access to healthy foods and affordability, combining measures of proximity to grocery stores and barriers such as income. Data come from the USDA Food Security Survey (2019 & 2022) as modeled by Feeding America and are used in the 2025 County Health Rankings. The index ranges from 0 (worst) to 10 (best), and a higher z-score indicates worse health.

A new indicator reporting information about the primary language spoken at home by the population aged 5 and older in limited-English households has been added to the report tool.

Note: Data for this indicator are based on tabulations of over 400 languages, some of which include combined language groups. For example, there is a single listing for “Swahili and other languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa” which includes around 1,000 languages.

Additionally, the American Community Survey (ACS) collects information on spoken languages, not written languages. For example, “Chinese” could mean either Traditional or Simplified Chinese. The ACS also recodes responses so that anyone who reports using American Sign Language at home is counted as speaking English, even though they are unrelated languages. Accurate data on language use informs resources for better language access to important government information, public health resources, healthcare services and more.

The 2018–2022 firearm death rate data are now available. This indicator reports the number of deaths due to firearms per 100,000 population, based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and included in the 2025 County Health Rankings. Data are suppressed for counties with fewer than 10 firearm deaths in the time period.

The 2016–2022 data on motor vehicle crash deaths are now available. This indicator reports the number of deaths due to motor vehicle crashes per 100,000 population, based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and used in the 2025 County Health Rankings. Data are suppressed for counties with fewer than 10 deaths in the time period.

The 2022 data on self-reported poor or fair health are now available. This indicator reports the percentage of adults aged 18 and older who describe their health as poor or fair, age-adjusted to the 2000 standard population. Data were sourced from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and are used in the 2025 County Health Rankings.

The 2020–2022 data on premature death rates are now available. This indicator reports the number of deaths among residents under age 75 per 100,000 population, age-adjusted, using data from the National Center for Health Statistics and reported in the 2025 County Health Rankings. Data are suppressed for counties with fewer than 20 premature deaths in the time period.