How healthy is living in California?

In 2007 California slipped one position into being the 25th most healthy state to live in, dropping two notches from 2006 in the latest study commissioned by United Health Foundation. Strengths include a low rate of smoking (14.9 percent) and occupational fatalities (3 deaths per 1,00,000 workers). The state slipped in infant mortalities, dropping from 3rd fewest such deaths in the nation to 9th. Since 1990, the violent crime rate has plummeted from 918 offenses per 100,000 people to 533 (a light increase from last year. The cost of health care in California is high, but the quality of care is low.