By Scott Harvey
– A new study finds it's possible that one county in Texas may be healthier to live in than another.
Ten of the healthiest counties in Texas are the suburban counties around DFW in North Texas and are also centered on the Hill Country.
Collin and Denton counties ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively, while Rockwall County was 5th and Delta County 26th. Just north of Austin, Williamson County is rated the healthiest county to live in Texas.
"The way that public health services are being delivered is an important factor," says Klaus Madsen with the Texas health institute. "In seven of the top ten counties the public health services are delivered by the local health department rather than the State Health Department so having a local health department is really vital."
Health advocates believe the rankings will show what parts of Texas will be hit hardest by state budget cuts. The least healthy county is Marion, along the Louisiana border.
To see how your county fared, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org/texas.