02.18.15

New State Rankings Reveal Top 10 Highest and Lowest Well-Being States

New state rankings from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index® show that, over the seven years that we have been measuring and analyzing well-being, a number of U.S. states have made repeat appearances in the top ten list. Hawaii, which is ranked second this year, and Colorado, which is ranked sixth this year, have made consistent appearances in the top ten list all seven years. Marking its fourth appearance since 2008 on the top ten list, Alaska secured the number one spot for the very first time.

Familiar states also appear among the lowest well-being states. For the sixth consecutive year, West Virginia and Kentucky have the lowest well-being in the United States, ranking 50th and 49th, respectively. Other states that have appeared in the bottom ten all seven years are Arkansas, Ohio and Mississippi.

2014_State_Rankings_CoverOur latest report, “The State of American Well-Being: 2014 State Well-Being Rankings” examines the comparative well-being of the 50 states. You can read more about the rankings here and download a copy here.

The Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index uses a holistic definition of well-being and self-reported data from individuals across the globe to create a unique view of societies’ progress on the elements that matter most to well-being: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. It is the most proven, mature and comprehensive measure of well-being in populations. Previous Gallup and Sharecare research shows that high well-being closely relates to key health outcomes such as lower rates of healthcare utilization, workplace absenteeism and workplace performancechange in obesity status and new onset disease burden.

To discover where other states — including yours — fall within the rankings, download a copy of the report today. You can also subscribe to content from the Well-Being Index — by subscribing, we’ll let you know when we release new reports and insights from the Well-Being Index.