Monmouth Among Healthiest U.S. Counties for Kids

We all know living in this area is the best for a TON of reasons, but did you know it's good for your kids' health too?

U.S. News and World Report ranked the 50 healthiest counties for kids, and Monmouth County, NJ is #25!

Marin County, CA took the top spot. Jersey actually fared quite well on the list, with Hunterdon (#3), Somerset (#8), Morris (#9), and Bergen (#10) counties all representing!

Monmouth County was specially highlighted in the report for its 24/7 digital access to e-books and audiobooks available through the Monmouth County Library system.

If you're wondering how that affects kids' health, the report states, 'research suggests that reading helps combat stress, keeps your mind sharp, helps you sleep better and eases depression – among a slew of other benefits.'

The rankings '[highlight] counties that feature, among other child-friendly data, fewer infant deaths, fewer low birth weight babies, fewer deaths from injuries, fewer teen births and fewer children in poverty. Besides the data displayed here, the percentage of children without health insurance, air quality (except for Alaska and Hawaii), rates of adult smoking and adult obesity, and access to physicians and exercise opportunities also were considered. All the variables were equally weighted.

Nice!