A poll from Gallup-Healthways shows which states had the highest well-being in 2015. The well-being score, which is ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, is based on survey data from 2.3 million people. The index is rated based on people's sense of purpose, social relationships, sense of financial security, sense of community and physical health. [Read the whole story on the happiest states]
1. Hawaii: 64.8
2. Alaska: 64.1
3. Montana: 63.8
4. Colorado: 63.6
5. Wyoming: 63.5
6. South Dakota: 63.5
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7. Minnesota: 63.3
8. Utah: 63.1
9. Arizona: 63.0
10.California: 62.7
11.Texas: 62.7
12.Florida: 62.4
13.Wisconsin: 62.4
14.Iowa: 62.4
15.North Dakota: 62.3
16.New Mexico: 62.2
17.Virginia: 62.2
18.Connecticut: 62.2
19.South Carolina: 62.2
20.Nebraska: 62.1
21.New Hampshire: 62.1
22.Maine: 62.1
23.North Carolina: 62.1
24.Washington: 62.0
25.Kansas: 62.0
26.Rhode Island: 61.9
27.Delaware: 61.9
28.Alabama: 61.8
29.Vermont: 61.8
30.Massachusetts: 61.8
31.Oregon: 61.7
32.New Jersey: 61.6
33.Pennsylvania: 61.6
34.Maryland: 61.5
35.Illinois: 61.5
36.Idaho: 61.5
37.Tennessee: 61.5
38.Nevada: 61.5
39.Michigan: 61.3
40.New York: 61.2
41.Georgia: 61.2
42.Louisiana: 61.1
43.Mississippi: 60.9
44.Arkansas: 60.9
45.Missouri: 60.8
46.Indiana: 60.5
47.Ohio: 60.4
48.Oklahoma: 60.4
49.Kentucky: 60.3
50.West Virginia: 58.5
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Tia is the managing editor and was previously a senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com and other outlets. She holds a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington, a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.
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