Kent County is located in the western part of Michigan and is home to roughly 641,000 people. It is known for its natural beauty, with rolling hills and farmland, as well as a variety of outdoor activities including fishing, boating, skiing and snowmobiling. Health care facilities are plentiful in Kent County. The area has two major hospitals: Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus and Metro Health Hospital. Other medical facilities include clinics, urgent care centers, specialty hospitals and long-term care facilities. The county also offers a wide range of mental health services through local providers such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and various community-based organizations. Residents of Kent County have access to quality health care close to where they live which helps ensure that their needs are met in a timely manner.
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 263 physicians per 100,000 population in Kent County. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Kent County area is 83.0 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
83.0 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Kent County area is 39 (100=best). The US average is 55.
39 / 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 Kent County area is 80 (100=best). The US average is 87.
80 / 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 Kent County commutes 21.1 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 Kent County area is 65 (100=best). The US average is 58.
65 / 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.