Poll Ranks Hawaii As Nation’s Happiest State

Hawaii - The Nation's Happiest State. Image by Laura Greene.

According to a new survey the ‘Gallup Index of Health and Well-Being‘, the 50th state is ranked number one, with North Dakota following in second place and Alaska in third.

The poll, which was published yesterday, looked at several health and wellness factors to determine a ‘Well-Being Score’ for each state, including; life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities.

Hawaii topped the rankings in terms of emotional and physical health, with scores of 84.0 and 80.4, respectively, which pushed it to the top of the list with an overall score of 71.1.

The Well-Being Index Map. Image by Gallup-Healthways.

The scores were based on random telephone interviews with over 177,000 US adults from January – June 2011. Scores ranged from 0 to 100, with 100 representing a score of ideal well-being.

West Virginia occupies the bottom spot in the ranking, with Kentucky and Mississippi in the second and third-to-last spots.