Boston, NY is a major center for health care and medical-related services. It has some of the finest hospitals and medical facilities in the country, including Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and many more. The city of Boston also has an extensive network of clinics that provide primary and preventive care to all its residents. These clinics range from urban public health centers to community health centers that serve low-income populations. With such robust infrastructure in place, Boston can provide quality healthcare to all its citizens regardless of economic status or ability to pay.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 254 physicians per 100,000 population in Boston. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Boston area is 88.7 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
88.7 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Boston area is 70 (100=best). The US average is 55.
70 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Boston area is 90 (100=best). The US average is 87.
90 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Boston commutes 25.8 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Boston area is 85 (100=best). The US average is 58.
85 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.