A survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals which states were happiest in 2009. The index included 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 from 2009, which are out of 100 points, with the 2008 scores in (parentheses).
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- Hawaii: 70.2 (68.2)
- Utah: 68.3 (69.2)
- Montana: 68.3 (66.7)
- Minnesota: 67.8 (67.3)
- Iowa: 67.6 (65.6)
- Vermont: 67.4 (66.6)
- Colorado: 67.3 (67.3)
- Alaska: 67.3 (66.2)
- North Dakota: 67.3 (65.5)
- Kansas: 67.2 (66.1)
- Idaho: 67.1 (66.8)
- Virginia: 67.0 (66.5)
- New Hampshire: 66.9 (66.7)
- Maryland: 66.8 (67.1)
- Washington: 66.8 (67.1)
- Maine: 66.7 (65.5)
- Wyoming: 66.7 (68.0)
- Massachusetts: 66.6 (67.0)
- California: 66.5 (67.0)
- South Dakota: 66.5 (64.3)
- Arizona: 66.4 (66.8)
- Connecticut: 66.3 (66.3)
- Nebraska: 66.3 (66.4)
- Texas: 66.2 (66.1)
- Georgia: 66.1 (66.0)
- Oregon: 66.0 (66.3)
- Wisconsin: 66.0 (65.9)
- Illinois: 65.8 (65.2)
- New Jersey: 65.6 (65.8)
- Pennsylvania: 65.4 (64.9)
- New Mexico: 65.3 (66.3)
- New York: 65.0 (64.7)
- Michigan: 64.9 (64)
- Missouri: 64.8 (63.8)
- Florida: 64.8 (65.3)
- South Carolina: 64.9 (65.7)
- North Carolina: 65.1 (64.8)
- Delaware: 64.7 (64.7)
- Louisiana: 64.2 (64.2)
- Oklahoma: 64.2 (64)
- Rhode Island: 64.2 (64.6)
- Mississippi: 64.0 (61.9)
- Tennessee: 64.0 (64.0)
- Alabama: 63.9 (64.9)
- Indiana: 63.9 (63.3)
- Nevada: 63.8 (64.5)
- Ohio: 63.6 (62.8)
- Arkansas: 62.8 (62.9)
- Kentucky: 62.3 (61.4)
- West Virginia: 60.5 (61.2)
The Story - Happiest States: Hawaii Moves into First Place
