Birth Rates
With regard to total births in the six-county region, only Union County saw an increase in total births between 2019 and 2020 (4.9 percent). Every other county, as well as the state as a whole, experienced declines from the previous year. Total births in each county fluctuated between 2016 and 2020. These fluctuations have been minor, however, except for the 22.8 percent increase in Montour County births between 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, there was an 8.6 percent increase in total births in Columbia County in 2019. The Commonwealth’s total number of births steadily declined between 2016 and 2019, and total births decreased 8.2 percent between 2010 and 2020.
Infant Deaths
The most recent five-year estimates revealed increases in infant mortality rates in Lycoming and Northumberland Counties. Conversely, Columbia County experienced a decrease in its infant mortality rate. These estimates are not displayed for Montour, Snyder, and Union Counties because their counts were less than 10. At the state level, rates declined steadily across the most recent five-year estimates. According to available data, Montour County has consistently reported rates significantly higher than those in the other geographies.
Health Care Resources
Compared to the statewide ratio of residents to primary care physicians, only Montour and Union Counties have lower ratios, which indicates more physicians per capita. Montour County’s rate is far below the statewide average due to the large presence of health care services in a relatively small county. Northumberland and Snyder Counties both have far fewer primary care doctors than the state on a per capita basis.rnrnCompared to 2021, the ratio of population to primary care physicians decreased in Lycoming, Montour, and Northumberland Counties in 2022. In contrast, the ratio of population to primary care physicians increased in Columbia, Snyder, and Union Counties. Overall, the ratio decreased at the regional level in 2022, which was also the case at the state level.rn
Except for Snyder County, every county in the region has a lower ratio of population to dentists in 2022 compared to 2021. However, only Montour County has a lower ratio of population to dentists in the six-county region than the Commonwealth.
For those counties that have hospitals, the number of available beds has not declined significantly except for Northumberland County. While Montour County’s total of available hospital beds decreased by seven between 2019 and 2021, it continues to have the highest total in the region. Hospital bed data was unavailable in the 2020 Statewide Hospital Report.
Health Insurance
As of 2021, the six-county region has the same share of uninsured residents (5.5 percent) as the Commonwealth. Snyder County and Union County have been home to the largest percentages of uninsured residents across all years analyzed, whereas Northumberland County’s rates have remained lowest.
Mental Health Resources
In the six-county region, mental health providers per capita are higher than the statewide ratio. As of 2022, Montour County has the lowest ratio of residents to mental health providers, whereas Northumberland County has the highest ratio. Except for Columbia County, however, the ratios of residents to mental health providers have decreased in every county. These lower ratios indicate greater access to mental health providers.
Mental Health Outcomes
The suicide death rate of the six-county region has steadily increased across the most recent five-year estimates. Similarly, the statewide suicide death rate also increased across the same five-year estimates. At the county level, Columbia County has the highest suicide death rate (20.5 suicides per 100,000 population), followed by Montour County (18.6 suicides per 100,000 population). Union County has the lowest suicide death rate in the region with 10.3 suicides per 100,000 residents.
Chronic Disease
The percentage of adults aged 20 and above with diagnosed diabetes in the region has remained fairly consistent between 2019 and 2023. However, the share slightly decreased in 2022. Compared to the statewide percentage, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, and Snyder Counties have lower percentages of residents aged 20 and above with diagnosed diabetes.
In the six-county region, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30kg/m2 (age-adjusted) is 35.0 percent, which is higher than that of the Commonwealth (32.0 percent). Snyder County has the highest adult obesity rate among the six counties (38.0 percent), whereas Montour County has the lowest (32.0 percent). Columbia, Lycoming, and Snyder Counties have had obesity rates higher than the statewide rate for each year analyzed.
Opioids
Between 2018 and 2022, the average drug overdose rate among the six counties has increased from 25 deaths per 100,000 people to 28 deaths per 100,000 people. However, there has been fluctuation over this period. As of 2022, Northumberland County has the highest drug overdose rate while Union and Synder Counties have the lowest, well below the state average. Statewide, the drug overdose rate is currently 36 deaths per 100,000 people, which is a slight decline from the previous year’s overdose rate.
Violent Crime
The aggregate violent crime statistic is the sum of four categories: murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Between 2022 and 2023, the most recent years with complete data, the violent crime total of the six-county region declined from 490 to 437. While every county has seen a decline in the total number of violent crimes committed between 2018 and 2023, Montour and Union Counties have seen a slight increase.
Except for 2021, the six-county region has seen an annual increase in its total number of murders. In 2022, Northumberland had the highest number of murders (eight murders), followed by Lycoming County (seven murders). Union County had no murders committed, experiencing a total of only one murder between 2018 and 2022. Statewide, the total number of murders decreased by four percent in 2022. However, the total number of 998 murders is still higher than totals prior to 2021.
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Community Vital Signs