Happiest States: 2010 List

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 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.
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