Full List: US Communities Ranked by Well-Being
A new poll ranks nearly 200 U.S. communities based on the well being of their residents.
The results are based on a survey of well-being conducted in 2015 and 2016 by Gallup-Healthways. The survey included people in 189 metro areas, and the scores were averaged over a two-year period.
For the poll, researchers interviewed more than 354,000 U.S. adults in all 50 states. The researchers calculated a well-being score for each community, based on the participants' answers to questions about different aspects of their well-being, including their sense of purpose, social relationships, financial lives, community involvement and physical health.
Here is the full list of communities, ranked by their well-being score (out of 100 points):
1. Naples–Immokalee–Marco Island, FL 66.3
2. Barnstable Town, MA 66.2
3. Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA 65.9
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4. Urban Honolulu, HI 65.4
5. Charlottesville, VA 65.3
6. North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, FL 65.2
7. San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles–Arroyo Grande, CA 65.2
8. Lynchburg, VA 64.9
9. Hilton Head Island–Bluffton–Beaufort, SC 64.9
10. Boulder, CO 64.7
11. Fort Collins, CO 64.7
12. Santa Maria–Santa Barbara, CA 64.7
13. Prescott, AZ 64.1
14. McAllen–Edinburg–Mission, TX 64.1
15. Greeley, CO 64.1
16. El Paso, TX 64.0
17. Santa Rosa, CA 64.0
18. Provo–Orem, UT 64.0
19. Salinas, CA 64.0
20. Anchorage, AK 64.0
21. Durham–Chapel Hill, NC 63.9
22. San Diego–Carlsbad, CA 63.9
23. Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA 63.8
24. San Antonio–New Braunfels, TX 63.8
25. Visalia–Porterville, CA 63.8
26. Asheville, NC 63.7
27. Ann Arbor, MI 63.7
28. Lancaster, PA 63.7
29. Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR–MO 63.6
30. Port St. Lucie, FL 63.5
31. San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA 63.5
32. Portland–South Portland, ME 63.4
33. Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA 63.4
34. Daphne–Fairhope–Foley, AL 63.4
35. Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, FL 63.4
36. Grand Rapids–Wyoming, MI 63.4
37. Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI 63.3
38. Cape Coral–Fort Myers, FL 63.3
39. San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA 63.3
40. Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk, CT 63.2
41. Greenville–Anderson–Mauldin, SC 63.2
42. Green Bay, WI 63.2
43. Colorado Springs, CO 63.1
44. Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV 63.1
45. Gainesville, FL 63.1
46. Austin–Round Rock, TX 63.0
47. Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale, AZ 63.0
48. Raleigh, NC 63.0
49. Charleston–North Charleston, SC 62.9
50. Ogden–Clearfield, UT 62.9
51. Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL 62.8
52. Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, TX 62.8
53. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA 62.8
54. Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC–SC 62.8
55. Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX 62.8
56. Clarksville, TN–KY 62.7
57. Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO 62.7
58. Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH 62.7
59. Madison, WI 62.4
60. York–Hanover, PA 62.4
61. Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, FL 62.3
62. Pittsburgh, PA 62.3
63. Lincoln, NE 62.2
64. Jacksonville, FL 62.2
65. Kennewick–Richland, WA 62.2
66. Sacramento—Roseville—Arden–Arcade, CA 62.2
67. Manchester–Nashua, NH 62.2
68. Columbus, GA–AL 62.2
69. Syracuse, NY 62.1
70. Springfield, MA 62.1
71. Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach, SC–NC 62.1
72. Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN 62.1
73. Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA 62.1
74. Boise City–Nampa, ID 62.0
75. Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA 62.0
76. Birmingham–Hoover, AL 62.0
77. Rochester, NY 62.0
78. Omaha–Council Bluffs, NE–IA 62.0
79. Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA 62.0
80. Trenton, NJ 61.9
81. Kansas City, MO–KS 61.9
82. Duluth, MN–WI 61.9
83. Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA 61.9
84. Peoria, IL 61.9
85. Lake Havasu City–Kingman, AZ 61.8
86. Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL 61.8
87. Augusta–Richmond County, GA–SC 61.8
88. Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN–VA 61.8
89. Tucson, AZ 61.7
90. Burlington–South Burlington, VT 61.7
91. Lafayette, LA 61.7
92. Hartford–West Hartford–East Hartford, CT 61.7
93. Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI 61.7
94. Las Vegas–Henderson–Paradise, NV 61.7
95. Albany–Schenectady–Troy, NY 61.7
96. Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, FL 61.7
97. Corpus Christi, TX 61.7
98. Spokane–Spokane Valley, WA 61.7
99. Eugene, OR 61.6
100. Huntsville, AL 61.6
101. New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA 61.6
102. Mobile, AL 61.6
103. New Orleans–Metairie, LA 61.6
104. Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis, WI 61.6
105. Bremerton–Silverdale, WA 61.6
106. Richmond, VA 61.6
107. Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NC 61.5
108. Louisville–Jefferson County, KY–IN 61.5
109. Reno, NV 61.5
110. Columbus, OH 61.5
111. Shreveport–Bossier City, LA 61.5
112. Knoxville, TN 61.4
113. Salt Lake City, UT 61.4
114. Modesto, CA 61.4
115. Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL 61.4
116. Greensboro–High Point, NC 61.4
117. Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton, PA–NJ 61.4
118. Jackson, MS 61.4
119. Kalamazoo–Portage, MI 61.4
120. Tallahassee, FL 61.4
121. Salem, OR 61.3
122. Wilmington, NC 61.3
123. Lansing–East Lansing, MI 61.3
124. New Haven–Milford, CT 61.3
125. Vallejo–Fairfield, CA 61.3
126. Albuquerque, NM 61.2
127. Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD 61.2
128. St. Louis, MO–IL 61.2
129. Fort Wayne, IN 61.2
130. Providence–Warwick, RI–MA 61.2
131. South Bend–Mishawaka, IN–MI 61.2
132. Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent, FL 61.1
133. Lexington–Fayette, KY 61.1
134. Harrisburg–Carlisle, PA 61.1
135. Wichita, KS 61.1
136. Norwich–New London, CT 61.1
137. Fresno, CA 61.1
138. Ocala, FL 61.0
139. Salisbury, MD–DE 61.0
140. Spartanburg, SC 61.0
141. Winston–Salem, NC 61.0
142. Baltimore–Columbia–Towson, MD 61.0
143. Cleveland–Elyria, OH 61.0
144. Reading, PA 60.9
145. Evansville, IN–KY 60.9
146. Buffalo–Cheektowaga–Niagara Falls, NY 60.9
147. Columbia, SC 60.9
148. Davenport–Moline–Rock Island, IA–IL 60.9
149. Medford, OR 60.9
150. Chattanooga, TN–GA 60.8
151. Utica–Rome, NY 60.8
152. Cincinnati, OH–KY–IN 60.8
153. Killeen–Temple, TX 60.8
154. Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL 60.8
155. Springfield, MO 60.7
156. Akron,OH 60.7
157. Scranton—Wilkes–Barre—Hazleton, PA 60.7
158. Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI 60.7
159. Fayetteville, NC 60.7
160. Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH–PA 60.6
161. Binghamton, NY 60.6
162. Savannah, GA 60.6
163. Dayton, OH 60.6
164. Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson, IN 60.6
165. Memphis, TN–MS–AR 60.5
166. Stockton–Lodi, CA 60.5
167. Oklahoma City, OK 60.5
168. Roanoke, VA 60.5
169. Cedar Rapids, IA 60.4
170. Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, MS 60.3
171. Tulsa, OK 60.3
172. Bakersfield, CA 60.3
173. Worcester, MA–CT 60.3
174. Little Rock–N Little Rock–Conway, AR 60.2
175. Lubbock, TX 60.1
176. Olympia, WA 60.0
177. Baton Rouge, LA 59.9
178. Rockford, IL 59.9
179. Toledo, OH 59.8
180. Montgomery, AL 59.8
181. Erie, PA 59.7
182. Beaumont–Port Arthur, TX 59.5
183. Chico, CA 59.5
184. Flint, MI 59.4
185. Canton–Massillon, OH 59.4
186. Topeka, KS 59.3
187. Huntington–Ashland, WV–KY–OH 58.7
188. Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC 58.6
189. Fort Smith, AR–OK 57.5
Original article on Live Science.
Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.