Wisconsin Health Grades

The health of Wisconsin is graded on two dimensions compared to all other states:
• Overall health of the entire state
• Health disparities within Wisconsin2
Health grades compare Wisconsin to all other states using two measures for length and quality of life. How long we live is measured by age-adjusted mortality; quality of life is measured by the percent of individuals reporting either fair or poor health status. Of note, the most recently available data for age- adjusted mortality and for fair or poor health do not incorporate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on current mortality and quality of life.
• Wisconsin receives a C for the health of our population based on measures of length and quality of life. Wisconsin has an age-adjusted mortality rate of 720.2 per 100,000 and 12.8% of Wisconsinites reported fair or poor health.
• When compared to its neighboring Midwestern states, Wisconsin is in the middle of the pack. Minnesota has consistently better health than Wisconsin with an age-adjusted mortality rate of 651 per 100,000 and 10.6% of the population reporting fair or poor health. Iowa and Illinois
have comparable overall health to Wisconsin with age-adjusted mortality rates of 727.8 and 719.3 per 100,000, respectively, while 12.6% of the population in Iowa and 13.3% in Illinois report fair or poor health.
• Across the US, the states in most need of improvement are Mississippi with an age-adjusted
mortality rate of 948.6 per 100,000 and West Virginia with 22.2% reporting fair or poor health. The states with the best average health are Hawaii with an age-adjusted mortality rate of 577.8 per 100,000 and Colorado with 10.4% of the population reporting fair or poor health.
Wisconsin’s Fair or Poor Health Grade
Percentage of Adults Reporting Fair or Poor Health

400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 1000
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Population (Age-Adjusted)

• According to data from the last five years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin saw little change in mortality or self-rated health among residents. For example, between 2016 and 2019, age-adjusted mortality in Wisconsin increased by 0.5% (or an increase of 3.7 deaths per 100,000).

2 Health disparities refer to measurable differences in health outcomes, such as mortality rate differences. Health inequities go beyond simple differences, adding a dimension of unfairness and injustice.

 Wisconsin Health Grades: Disparity

While Wisconsin gets an overall health grade of C, measurable differences exist among population groups across the state in length and quality of life. We use the term disparities to describe these measurable differences in health. The disparity grades examine differences in health among three different subgroups in the state: race or ethnicity, education level, and geographic region.

The table below shows the overall health grade and markdown due to disparities in living long and well among population groups in Wisconsin. The size of the gaps among groups in length and quality of life for Wisconsin compared to other states determines the degree to which the overall grade is marked down. For example, the large gaps in health among Wisconsinites with different education levels means that our overall health grade of C is marked down to an F in length and quality of life compared to other states.

Mortality   Fair or Poor Health

A strong and growing body of research shows that these differences in health outcomes are the result
of community conditions and policies and systems that shape health and opportunity. The neighborhoods we live in – along with past and present housing, education, and employment policies – create opportunities for some, but roadblocks for others.

The graphics below provide more information on the differences among or between groups within Wisconsin to better understand the nature of these health disparities.

Mortality Rates in Wisconsin

Deaths among WI Residents per 100,000 Population (age-adjusted)

Wisconsin Adults Reporting Fair or Poor Health

Education

Race/Ethnicity

Percentage of WI Adults Reporting Fair or Poor Health

• While the overall mortality rate is 720 deaths per 100,000, a closer look within Wisconsin reveals that among racial and ethnic groups, mortality ranges from 477 deaths per 100,000 for Hispanic Wisconsinites to 1,016 deaths per 100,000 for Black Wisconsinites.
• Among Wisconsinites with a college education, there are 568 deaths per 100,000, while those with less than high school education experience a mortality rate of 1,679 per 100,000.
• Among levels of urbanization in Wisconsin, the mortality rate ranges from 659 per 100,000 for suburban counties to 822 per 100,000 for our large urban county of Milwaukee.
• Similar findings are displayed for fair or poor health. Though 12.8% of Wisconsinites report fair or poor health overall, 11.3% of Wisconsinites who identify as White report fair or poor health compared to 23.5% of Wisconsinites who identify as Black.
• Self-reported fair or poor health is lowest among college educated Wisconsinites (5.3%) and highest among those with less than high school education (34.1%).
• Among Wisconsin counties, self-reported fair or poor health ranges from 12.7% for suburban counties to 19.7% for our large urban county of Milwaukee.
The grades on page 7 show raw numerical differences, but they do not tell the whole story. Health inequities go beyond simple differences, adding a dimension of unfairness and injustice. These disparity measures obscure the structural and historical drivers of health inequities, including for
example, disinvestment, historical traumas of settler colonization and enslavement, and segregation.
The field of health equity measurement is building capacity to better describe the ways that unjust policy decisions are linked to unfair differences in length and quality of life. This is why the following equity policy pages also feature stories to provide context and enrich our understanding.