Living in West Virginia stinks.
That’s according the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index released late last month that seeks to test “Americans’ perceptions on topics such as physical and emotional health, healthy behaviors, work environment, social and community factors, financial security, and access to necessities such as food, shelter and health care to create a composite well-being rank for each state.” West Virginia ranked dead last in such categories (there are 55 of them) as “life evaluation”, “emotional health”, “physical health” and “healthy behaviors.” Interestingly, it ranked 14th in “work environment.”
The bottom of the (state) barrel is unchanged from 2012 with West Virginia (50th), Kentucky (49th) and Mississippi (48th) bringing up the rear. The top of the chart has a new number one with North Dakota — and its booming oil economy — jumping all the way from 19th in 2012 to first in 2013. South Dakota moves from 12th to second happiest in 2013. Of the top ten happiest states, only one — Washington — is located on either of the nation’s two coasts. (The middle of the U.S. may be flyover country but people who live there seem to love it.)
Here’s the well-being index in map form. Green states […]