Happiest U.S. Cities of 2014: The List

A Gallup-Healthways poll surveyed people from the most populous communities in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia about their well-being. The resulting score was based on five distinct elements of well-being, including purpose, social relationships, financial security, community pride/safety, and physical health.

Here is the full list of states ranked by the percent of people who reported the highest well-being across all five elements. [Read full story on the happiest U.S. communities]

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Tanya was a staff writer for Live Science from 2013 to 2015, covering a wide array of topics, ranging from neuroscience to robotics to strange/cute animals. She received a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from Brown University. She has previously written for Science News, Wired, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, the radio show Big Picture Science and other places. Tanya has lived on a tropical island, witnessed volcanic eruptions and flown in zero gravity (without losing her lunch!). To find out what her latest project is, you can visit her website.