By Annalise Frank | Axios Detroit | Published May 5, 2022

Wayne County ranks the lowest among statewide counties when it comes to factors that determine good health, according to a County Health Rankings review measuring well-being.

• Neighboring Oakland County ranks third highest and Washtenaw County ranks first, while Macomb (46) and Wayne (83) lag behind.

Between the lines: The ranking looks at data that influences the length and quality of residents’ lives, and then lays out ways policies and leaders can make change.

• Factors taken into account include air pollution, availability of transit, alcohol and tobacco use, housing and safety and rate of children in poverty.

The big picture: Racial health disparities persist and the pandemic exacerbated them.

• “There’s still all these other things in the background that are at play that are really impacting people’s ability to access high-quality health care,” Dr. Kimberly Farrow, president and CEO of Detroit community provider Central City Integrated Health, tells Axios.
• “So why is it happening? Because we haven’t effectively addressed the social determinants of health, which strongly play into health outcomes.”