A new report released on Tuesday find that the link between college education and longevity in the U.S. has grown stronger over time.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin found after examining data from more than 3,000 U.S. counties that premature death rates differed sharply across counties, and a lack of college education accounted for about 35 percent of that variation from 2006 to 2008, the most recent years available.

The report also found that counties whose residents have higher education level have lower rates when it comes to things like smoking, physical inactivity, teen births, unemployment and violent crime.

According to the findings, Putnam County, north of New York City, was the healthiest, with just 8 percent of its residents in poor or fair health, compared with 25 percent in the Bronx, which had the worst health of any county in New York.

"The County Health Rankings show us that much of what influences our health happens outside of the doctor's office. In fact, where we live, learn, work and play has a big role in determining how healthy we are and how long we live," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which financed the study.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet