The St. Louis area has some of the most and least healthy areas in the state, according to a report released today.

Residents of St. Charles County have the best opportunities in Missouri to be healthy, while people who live in St. Louis city have the worst, according to the national County Health Rankings report from the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Those 2011 rankings did not change from last year, the first time the report was issued. Counties and independent cities in each state were ranked by various environmental and socio-economic factors that can affect health - smoking, obesity, poverty rates, binge drinking, violent crime, education levels and birth weights.

St. Louis County came in at fourth healthiest and Jefferson County was 58th out of 114 counties and independent cities in Missouri.

Among nearby Illinois counties, Monroe scored highest in second place, while Madison ranked 84th and St. Clair ranked 100th out of 102 total.

St. Charles County residents also ranked highest in the state for longevity, while residents of Ripley County in southeast Missouri have the shortest life spans.

Nationally, the report held few surprises. The least healthy counties tend to be in poor and rural areas, and the healthiest ones are generally urban or suburban and upper-income.

Data for the report comes from federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI and the Census Bureau.

More information and maps are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.