Hawaii remains the home of the happiest and healthiest people in the United States. A Gallup poll revealed that the Aloha State got the highest score of well-being, followed by Alaska and South Dakota.
Gallup-Healthways 2016 State Well-Being Rankings
In 2016, residents of Hawaii had the highest score on Gallup-Healthways' annual survey of well-being with a score of 65.2 out of 100, marking the sixth time that the state topped the poll since Gallup-Healthways started conducting it in 2008. No other state in the United States has accomplished this feat.
Hawaii residents reported having little daily stress and low obesity rate. They also eat lots of produce, exercise regularly, and feel safe where they live.
"Hawaii has had a heck of a run," said Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index research director Dan Witters. "They do a lot of things right there. They take good care of themselves. They do the blocking and tackling of physical wellness really well."
Alaska, which came in second in the poll, was also second runner-up in 2015. Other states that made it to the top of the annual survey include South Dakota, Maine, and Colorado.
The rankings are based on interviews involving more than 177, 000 adults in 50 states. They survey was conducted between January and December 2016. The well-being scores were based on the participants' answers to questions that pertain to different aspects of well-being such as social relationships, sense of purpose, financial lives, physical health, and community involvement.
US States With Low Well-Being Scores
States with the lowest well-being scores include Rhode Island, Louisiana, Alabama, Ohio, Arkansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma. Kentucky and West Virginia have been at the bottom spots of the list for eight years now.
Regional Pattern
In a statement, Gallup said that well-being appears to have a regional pattern. States in the northern Plains and Mountain West were more morely to have higher well-being scores compared with states in the South and the industrial Midwest.
Florida albeit in the South, however, is twelfth on the list and Nevada, although in the West, has a lower well-being score than its neighboring states.
While 2016 is popularly being described as the worst year ever, the poll revealed that the overall well-being of Americans improved slightly. The country's average well-being score in 2016 was 62.1, which is higher than the 61.6 score in 2015 and 61.6 score in 2014.
Factors That Influence Well-Being Of Americans
Gallup-Healthways said that among the factors that influenced the well-being of Americans are the rise in the percentage of people with health insurance in 2016 and a reduction in the percentage of people who smoke.
"Improvements in well-being at the national level are driven by improvements at the state and local levels," Gallup said in a statement. "States like California, Texas and Florida have had much stronger showings in the last few years, demonstrating that improvement over time is possible."
Despite these improvements, some markers of well-being also declined in 2016. The percentage of Americans with diabetes and obesity, for instance, increased and the percentage of those diagnosed with depression hit its highest level since the the Gallup and Healthways Well-Being Index started.
