Happiest States: 2010 List

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A survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals which states are happiest. The index includes questions about six types of well-being, including overall evaluation of their lives, emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors (such as whether a person smokes or exercises), and job satisfaction.

Click here to learn more about the survey and what it means. Also see Top 5 Keys to Happiness.

Here are the 50 U.S. states in order of their well-being scores, which are out of 100 points.

1.     Hawaii: 71.0

2.     Wyoming: 69.2

3.     North Dakota: 68.4

4.     Alaska: 68.3

5.     Colorado: 68.0

6.     Minnesota: 68.0

7.     South Dakota: 68.0

8.     Utah: 67.9

9.     Connecticut: 67.9

10.  Massachusetts: 67.8

11.  Nebraska: 67.8

12.  Maryland: 67.5

13.  Washington: 67.5

14.  Montana: 67.3

15.  Kansas: 67.2

16.  New Hampshire: 67.2

17.  Vermont: 67.1

18.  California: 67.0

19.  Iowa: 66.9

20.  Idaho: 66.9

21.  New Mexico: 66.7

22.  Virginia: 66.7

23.  Wisconsin: 66.7

24.  New Jersey: 66.6

25.  Maine: 66.4

26.  Illinois: 66.3

27.  Oregon: 66.3

28.  Texas: 66.3

29.  Arizona: 66.2

30.  Pennsylvania: 66.1

31.  Georgia: 66.1

32.  New York: 65.9

33.  Rhode Island: 65.7

34.  Missouri: 65.6

35.  South Carolina: 65.3

36.  North Carolina: 65.1

37.  Florida: 65.1

38.  Oklahoma: 64.9

39.  Indiana: 64.8

40.  Tennessee: 64.8

41.  Michigan: 64.6

42.  Louisiana: 64.3

43.  Delaware: 64.2

44.  Nevada: 64.2

45.  Ohio: 63.8

46.  Alabama: 63.7

47.  Arkansas: 63.7

48.  Mississippi: 63.0

49.  Kentucky: 61.9

50.  West Virginia: 61.7

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Jeanna Bryner
Live Science Editor-in-Chief

Jeanna served as editor-in-chief of Live Science. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Jeanna has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland, and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.