The Happiest States in the Country in 2015: Full List

hawaii, hawai'i, rising sea level, climate change, global warming

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

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 Ghose
Managing Editor

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.