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America’s Health Rankings Senior Report was released by the United Health Foundation last week, and the findings didn’t place the State of Indiana in a positive light. The Hoosier State ranked near the bottom in a significant number of categories, showing senior health in Indiana is lagging behind the rest of the nation.
The report examines 56 measures, utilizing 25 separate sources of information to construct a comprehensive view of the health of older adults. While Indiana consistently has ranked near the bottom of the survey year after year, the state did tick up two places in overall health, from 37th in 2025 to 35th this year.
That ranking falls closely in line with Indiana’s neighboring Midwest states, as Kentucky ranked 48th, Ohio ranked 36th, Illinois ranked 33rd, and Michigan ranked 27th.
Indiana earned low marks across several critical categories. It is the most obese state in the nation. Similarly, only Arizona surpasses Indiana for the number of seniors targeted by Internet crime.
Indiana seniors placed 47th among states being able to access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds, and Hoosier seniors ranked 42nd in physical activity. The state’s older population is 38th in the prevalence of cigarette smoking. And Indiana is 42nd in early death among seniors.
There were some positive measures for Hoosier seniors. The study showed that Indiana is 7th in the avoidance of excessive drinking and 7th in having access to a dedicated healthcare provider. And Indiana ranked 4th in the percentage of seniors in low-care nursing homes. The state’s seniors also like their fruits and vegetables, ranking 13th nationally for consumption.
There were several signs, nationally, that the health outlook of America’s seniors is improving. The home healthcare workforce has increased to an all-time high, and the number of seniors reporting no physical activity declined by 16 percent.
Still, food insecurity for the nation’s seniors increased six percent, and excessive drinking and suicide both increased across the country.
The full report and previous reports can be viewed here: https://www.americashealthrankings.org/publications/reports/2026-senior-report
The United Health Foundation was established by UnitedHealth Group in 1999 as a nonprofit, private foundation dedicated to improving health and health care. To date, the United Health Foundation has committed $880 million to programs and communities around the world, including a $100 million commitment to help support the health care workforce.
America’s Health Rankings®, produced by the United Health Foundation, is the longest-running state-by-state analysis of the nation’s health. America’s Health Rankings provides important insights into the health of various populations, including older adults, women and children, and veterans.