America's Health: State Health Rankings - 2004 Edition
Intro and Findings
  
Components
  
State Snapshots
  
Methodology
  
Commentaries and Special Features
Foreword and Introduction   Selection of Components   State by State Snapshots   Methodology   Letter from Director of The Centers for Disease Control
Measures of Success   Combined Measures:
 Risk Factors/Outcomes		   All State Summaries   Weighting of Components   The State of Infant Health: Is There Trouble Ahead
2004 Results    
Appendices
   The Obesity Epidemic: A Call to Action
Changes from 2003, 1990   Risk Factors    Occupational Fatalities   Index of Tables   Eliminating Health Disparities
Comparison to Other Nations   Outcomes    Health Disparity       Getting Involved: Your Responsibility

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is ninth this year, returning to the top 10 states; it was 14th in 2003. Its strengths are a low violent crime rate at 225 offenses per 100,000 population, a strong high school graduation rate with 79.0 percent of incoming ninth graders who graduate within four years, a low rate of uninsured population at 10.9 percent, a low incidence of infectious disease at 7.5 cases per 100,000 population and a low number of limited activity days per month at 1.7 days in the previous 30 days. Wisconsin's biggest challenges are a moderate percentage of children in poverty at 15.4 percent of persons under age 18, a moderate prevalence of smoking at 22.0 percent of the population and a moderate infant mortality rate at 6.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. Access to adequate prenatal care illustrates some health disparities within the state, as 61.1 percent of pregnant black women receive adequate care compared to 80.4 percent of pregnant white women. Wisconsin is 5th for the combined measures of risk factors and 18th for the combined measures of outcomes, indicating that the state's relative health is likely to remain steady or improve in the near future.

In the past year, per capita public health spending increased from $65 to $88 per person, the rate of cancer deaths decreased from 205.7 to 201.9 deaths per 100,000 population and the percentage of children in poverty increased from 12.0 percent to 15.4 percent of persons under age 18.

Since 1990, the incidence of infectious disease has decreased from 14.1 to 7.5 cases per 100,000 population, and the infant mortality rate has decreased from 8.9 to 6.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. The prevalence of obesity has increased from 11.3 percent to 20.9 percent of the population, a slower increase than many other states.

To learn more about health and health initiatives in Wisconsin, visit the Wisconsin state department of health Web site at: www.dhfs.state.wi.us/

Wisconsin graph Download this state report as a PDF file

Click here for the Wisconsin Public Health and Health Policy Insitute's Wisconsin County Health Rankings and the Wisconsin County Health Report Card.
 

  
Rankings
Measurement Data
2004
2003
1990
2004
2003
1990
Risk Factors - Personal Behaviors
      
23
28
6
 Prevalence of Smoking (Percent of population)
22.0
23.3
26.3
17
22
8
 Motor Vehicle Deaths (Deaths per 100,000,000 miles driven)
1.4
1.4
1.9
16
23
21
 Prevalence of Obesity (Percent of population)
20.9
21.6
11.3
7
7
9
 High School Graduation (Percent of incoming ninth graders)
79.0
78.2
83.7
Risk Factors - Community Environment
      
6
6
11
 Violent Crime (Offenses per 100,000 population)
225
231
250
9
3
6
 Lack of Health Insurance (Percent without health insurance)
10.9
9.8
8.3
9
9
6
 Infectious Disease (Cases per 100,000 population)
7.5
8.3
14.1
25
16
9
 Children in Poverty (percent of persons under age 18)
15.4
12.0
12.6
14
15
14
 Occupational Fatalities (Deaths per 100,000 workers)
4.5
4.6
7.8*
Risk Factors - Health Policies
      
7
7
-
 Percent of Health Dollars for Public Health (Percent of health exp.)
10.7
8.2
-
10
11
-
 Per Capita Public Health Spending ($ per person)
$88
$65
-
23
21
4
 Adequacy of Prenatal Care (Percent of pregnant women)
77.7
77.6
78.6
Outcomes
      
7
7
11
 Limited Activity Days (Days in last 30 days)
1.7
1.6
2.9*
22
22
23
 Cardiovascular Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population)
319.4
325.1
391.2
19
27
20
 Cancer Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population)
201.9
205.7
195.7
21
22
16
 Total Mortality (Deaths per 100,000 population)
831.1
841.1
833.2
23
23
8
 Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000 live births)
6.6
6.8
8.9
15
17
7
 Premature Death (Years lost per 100,000 population)
6,535
6,575
7,143
9
14
3
Overall
14.4
11.9
18.4

A dash (--) indicates data not available.
* Data sources and/or methdology may not be comparable for this year.