The 20 Happiest States of 2017
Well-Being Index: 62.6 out of 100
New Mexico barely made the top 20 this year after ranking No. 16 last year. The state came in ninth for both sense of purpose and physical activity, but also fell in the bottom 10 for sense of community.
* Rankings are from the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index and consider five factors: sense of purpose, social connectedness, financial security, sense of community and physical activity.
© STRINGER Mexico / Reuters
Well-Being Index: 62.6
Dropping five places overall from last year, Iowa still ranks No. 5 for financial security, but is in the bottom 10 for social connectedness at No. 42.
Well-Being Index: 62.7
Idaho went from being one of the 20 unhappiest states last year to breaking into the happiest ones this year. Moving up 18 places, the state ranked fourth overall for sense of community.
Well-Being Index: 62.8
Utah fell out of the top 10 from last year’s ranking and doesn’t break the top 10 for any factors. Its best ranking is sense of community at No. 13.
Well-Being Index: 62.8
Slipping from No. 15 last year, North Dakota makes it into the top 10 for two factors: financial security (No. 4) and sense of community (No. 7).
Well-Being Index: 62.9
Nebraska improved five spots from last year’s ranking, with three categories breaking the top 10: sense of purpose (No. 7), financial security (No. 8) and sense of community (No. 10).
Well-Being Index: 63.0
Massachusetts moved up 16 places from last year, with top 10 showings for physical activity (No. 5) and social connectedness (No. 10).
Well-Being Index: 63.0
The most populous state in the nation slid three places from last year. Still, the Golden State ranks No. 6 in physical activity.
Well-Being Index: 63.0
Falling seven places since last year, Wyoming had only one factor break into the top 10: sense of community, which ranked fifth.
Well-Being Index: 63.1
The Sunshine State improved its standing by one place from last year, with three top 10 showings for social connectedness (No. 2), sense of purpose (No. 6) and physical activity (No. 8).
Well-Being Index: 63.1
The Lone Star state inches up a spot from last year, taking the top place for sense of purpose and also coming in at No. 8 for social connectedness.
Well-Being Index: 63.2
Residents of the Land of 10,000 Lakes scored in the top 10 for financial stability and sense of community. But the state ranked low for social connectedness, at No. 44.
Well-Being Index: 63.2
Montana dropped from the No. 3 spot on last year’s ranking. It comes in third for sense of community and barely breaks into the top 10 for sense of purpose.
Well-Being Index: 63.4
Arizona moves up two notches from last year, ranking second in sense of purpose and third in social connectedness. It also barely made the top 10 for physical activity.
Well-Being Index: 63.5
Improving an impressive 23 spots in just one year, Vermont broke into the top 10 for physical activity (No. 2), social connectedness (No. 5) and sense of community (No. 8).
Well-Being Index: 63.5
Colorado moves down a notch from last year, with only its physical activity score coming in the top 10 at No. 3.
Well-Being Index: 63.6
Moving up a whopping 18 spots from last year, Maine had impressive showings for physical activity (No. 4) and financial security (No. 10). Its lowest ranking was for sense of purpose at No. 23.
Well-Being Index: 63.7
The Mount Rushmore state moved up three spots in this year’s ranking, coming in No. 2 for sense of community, No. 3 for financial security and No. 8 for sense of purpose.
Well-Being Index: 64.0
Ranked No. 2 for the second straight year, the largest U.S. state comes in first for supportive social networks. Alaska made the top 10 for sense of purpose, community and financial security.
Well-Being Index: 65.2
Hawaii claimed the top spot for well-being for the sixth time since tracking began in 2008. Not only does the Aloha State have the highest overall well-being score, it also tops the list for three of the five ranked factors: financial security, sense of community and physical health. Still, it ranked near the bottom for social connectedness, at No. 46.