diff --git a/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/complexity/walker.py b/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/complexity/walker.py
index ab1be9e2..eaa19ebb 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/complexity/walker.py
+++ b/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/complexity/walker.py
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ class FileComplexity:
 
     functions: list[FunctionComplexity]
     classes: list[ClassComplexity]
+    file_nloc: int = 0
 
 
 # Leaf node types that carry a declared name at the bottom of a C/C++
@@ -166,6 +167,41 @@ def _count_nloc(node: Node, source: bytes) -> int:
     return sum(1 for line in snippet.splitlines() if line.strip())
 
 
+def _count_file_nloc(source: bytes) -> int:
+    """Count non-blank lines in *source* bytes (plain fallback, no tree)."""
+    try:
+        text = source.decode("utf-8", errors="replace")
+    except Exception:
+        return 0
+    return sum(1 for line in text.splitlines() if line.strip())
+
+
+def _count_file_nloc_tree(root_node: Node, source: bytes) -> int:
+    """Count lines that have at least one non-comment token.
+
+    Lines where all content is inside comment nodes are excluded; lines
+    with real code plus a trailing comment still count.
+    """
+    try:
+        lines = source.decode("utf-8", errors="replace").splitlines()
+    except Exception:
+        return 0
+    code_lines: set[int] = set()
+    stack = [root_node]
+    while stack:
+        node = stack.pop()
+        if "comment" in node.type:
+            continue
+        if not node.children and node.start_byte < node.end_byte:
+            for line in range(node.start_point[0], node.end_point[0] + 1):
+                if line < len(lines) and lines[line].strip():
+                    code_lines.add(line)
+        else:
+            for child in node.children:
+                stack.append(child)
+    return len(code_lines)
+
+
 def _is_boolean_operator(node: Node, lmap: LanguageNodeMap) -> bool:
     """True if this node represents a logical ``&&`` / ``||`` operator."""
     if node.type in lmap.boolean_operator_kinds:
@@ -829,7 +865,7 @@ def walk_file(
     """
     lmap = get_language_map(language)
     if lmap is None:
-        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[])
+        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[], file_nloc=_count_file_nloc(source))
 
     try:
         from tree_sitter import Parser
@@ -840,18 +876,18 @@ def walk_file(
         from repowise.core.ingestion.parser import _get_language
     except Exception as exc:
         log.debug("complexity_walker_import_failed", error=str(exc))
-        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[])
+        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[], file_nloc=_count_file_nloc(source))
 
     grammar = _get_language(language)
     if grammar is None:
-        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[])
+        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[], file_nloc=_count_file_nloc(source))
 
     try:
         parser = Parser(grammar)
         tree = parser.parse(source)
     except Exception as exc:
         log.debug("complexity_walker_parse_failed", path=abs_path, error=str(exc))
-        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[])
+        return FileComplexity(functions=[], classes=[], file_nloc=_count_file_nloc(source))
 
     functions: list[FunctionComplexity] = []
     fc_by_node_id: dict[int, FunctionComplexity] = {}
@@ -875,7 +911,11 @@ def walk_file(
         fc_by_node_id[fn_node.id] = fc
 
     classes = _collect_classes(tree.root_node, lmap, source, fc_by_node_id)
-    return FileComplexity(functions=functions, classes=classes)
+    return FileComplexity(
+        functions=functions,
+        classes=classes,
+        file_nloc=_count_file_nloc_tree(tree.root_node, source),
+    )
 
 
 def walk_file_complexity(
diff --git a/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/engine.py b/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/engine.py
index 24ab7d59..0734806f 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/engine.py
+++ b/packages/core/src/repowise/core/analysis/health/engine.py
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ def _evaluate_file(
         fn_metrics: dict[str, FunctionComplexity] = {fc.name: fc for fc in fc_list}
         max_ccn = max((fc.ccn for fc in fc_list), default=1)
         max_nesting = max((fc.max_nesting for fc in fc_list), default=0)
-        nloc = sum(fc.nloc for fc in fc_list)
+        nloc = fcx.file_nloc
 
         dependents_count = 0
         if self.graph is not None and file_path in self.graph:
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/lang_samples/javascript/route.js b/tests/fixtures/lang_samples/javascript/route.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..22dba70f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/lang_samples/javascript/route.js
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+const express = require("express");
+const router = express.Router();
+
+// POST /x with middleware chain
+router.post("/x",
+  logRequest,
+  validateRequest,
+  async (req, res) => {
+    const id = req.body.id;
+    if (!id) {
+      return res.status(400).json({ error: "missing id" });
+    }
+    const result = await doWork(id);
+    if (result.ok) {
+      res.json({ data: result.data });
+    } else {
+      res.status(500).json({ error: result.message });
+    }
+  }
+);
+
+function logRequest(req, res, next) {
+  console.log(req.method, req.path);
+  next();
+}
+
+function validateRequest(req, res, next) {
+  if (!req.body) {
+    return res.status(400).json({ error: "no body" });
+  }
+  next();
+}
diff --git a/tests/unit/health/test_file_nloc.py b/tests/unit/health/test_file_nloc.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9b0827d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/health/test_file_nloc.py
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import pytest
+
+from repowise.core.analysis.health.complexity import walk_file
+from repowise.core.analysis.health.complexity.walker import _count_file_nloc
+from repowise.core.analysis.health.duplication import DuplicationReport
+from repowise.core.analysis.health.engine import HealthAnalyzer
+from repowise.core.analysis.health.models import HealthFileMetricData
+
+FIXTURES = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2] / "fixtures" / "lang_samples"
+
+
+def _non_blank(source: bytes) -> int:
+    return sum(1 for line in source.decode("utf-8", errors="replace").splitlines() if line.strip())
+
+
+def test_js_file_nloc_excludes_comment_only():
+    source = b"const x = 1;\n// comment\nconst y = 2;\n"
+    fcx = walk_file("/tmp/t.js", "javascript", source)
+    if fcx.file_nloc == 0:
+        pytest.skip("javascript tree-sitter pack missing")
+    assert fcx.file_nloc == 2
+
+
+def test_python_file_nloc_excludes_comment_only():
+    source = b"x = 1\n# comment\ny = 2\n"
+    fcx = walk_file("/tmp/t.py", "python", source)
+    if fcx.file_nloc == 0:
+        pytest.skip("python tree-sitter pack missing")
+    assert fcx.file_nloc == 2
+
+
+def test_trailing_comment_line_still_counts():
+    source = b"x = 1  # trailing\ny = 2\n"
+    fcx = walk_file("/tmp/t.py", "python", source)
+    if fcx.file_nloc == 0:
+        pytest.skip("python tree-sitter pack missing")
+    assert fcx.file_nloc == 2
+
+
+def test_multiline_string_blank_line_does_not_count():
+    source = b'x = """a\n\n b"""\ny = 2\n'
+    fcx = walk_file("/tmp/t.py", "python", source)
+    if fcx.file_nloc == 0:
+        pytest.skip("python tree-sitter pack missing")
+    assert fcx.file_nloc == 3
+
+
+def test_js_route_file_nloc_excludes_one_comment_line():
+    p = FIXTURES / "javascript" / "route.js"
+    if not p.exists():
+        pytest.skip(f"fixture missing: {p}")
+    source = p.read_bytes()
+    fcx = walk_file(str(p), "javascript", source)
+    if fcx.file_nloc == 0:
+        pytest.skip("javascript tree-sitter pack missing")
+    assert fcx.file_nloc == _non_blank(source) - 1
+
+
+def test_js_route_function_sum_less_than_file_nloc():
+    p = FIXTURES / "javascript" / "route.js"
+    if not p.exists():
+        pytest.skip(f"fixture missing: {p}")
+    source = p.read_bytes()
+    fcx = walk_file(str(p), "javascript", source)
+    if not fcx.functions:
+        pytest.skip("javascript tree-sitter pack missing or no functions detected")
+    assert sum(fn.nloc for fn in fcx.functions) < fcx.file_nloc
+
+
+def test_health_metric_nloc_uses_file_nloc():
+    p = FIXTURES / "javascript" / "route.js"
+    if not p.exists():
+        pytest.skip(f"fixture missing: {p}")
+    source = p.read_bytes()
+    fcx = walk_file(str(p), "javascript", source)
+    if fcx.file_nloc == 0:
+        pytest.skip("javascript tree-sitter pack missing")
+
+    pf = SimpleNamespace(
+        file_info=SimpleNamespace(path="src/route.js", language="javascript", abs_path=str(p)),
+        symbols=[],
+    )
+    metric, _ = HealthAnalyzer(graph=None)._evaluate_file(
+        pf,
+        fcx,
+        all_paths={"src/route.js"},
+        disabled=[],
+        dup_report=DuplicationReport(),
+    )
+    assert isinstance(metric, HealthFileMetricData)
+    assert metric.nloc == fcx.file_nloc
+
+
+def test_unsupported_language_fallback_nloc():
+    source = b"foo bar baz\n\nqux quux\n# comment\n"
+    fcx = walk_file("/tmp/x.klingon", "klingon", source)
+    assert fcx.functions == []
+    assert fcx.classes == []
+    assert fcx.file_nloc == _non_blank(source)
+    assert fcx.file_nloc > 0
+
+
+def test_count_file_nloc_empty_source():
+    assert _count_file_nloc(b"") == 0
+
+
+def test_count_file_nloc_blank_only():
+    assert _count_file_nloc(b"\n  \n\t\n") == 0
+
+
+def test_count_file_nloc_mixed():
+    source = b"a = 1\n\n  \nb = 2\n# comment\n"
+    assert _count_file_nloc(source) == 3