Hawaii reclaims its number one spot as the “happiest” state in the country – bumping out last year’s winner Alaska. The state has held the happiness title five times since 2008, according to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
The index measures the well-being of states across five elements: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. In 2015, financial well-being increased as well as physical fitness while there were also declines in both food and healthcare insecurity. What’s more, life evaluation – in which how Americans rate and perceive their lives – surged to a record high, according to the index.
“Well-being in the U.S. exhibits regional patterns, with the northern plains and mountain west reporting higher levels of well-being, along with some western states and pockets in the northeast and Atlantic states,” according to the report.
For 2015, here are the states that scored the highest in well-being, according to the index:
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Montana
- Colorado
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- Minnesota
- Utah
- Arizona
- California
- Texas
- Florida
- Wisconsin
- Iowa
- North Dakota
Download the report to the full list to see where your state stacks up on the well-being index.
Source: “2015 State Well-Being Rankings,” Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (January 2016)
