The happiest Americans in 2015 are living outside of the continental United States, according to a new report.
Hawaii and Alaska boast the highest well-being in the nation, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index showed. Researchers surveyed adults across the U.S. in about 500 telephone interviews every day in 2015. Questions focused on how they view their everyday lives — measuring their sense of purpose, social life, financial standing, community support and physical health.
Hawaii came out on top, beating Alaska — 2014's winner — in overall well-being in 2015. It's not Hawaii's first win, however, as the state has secured the number one spot five times since 2008.
The average national overall well-being changed negligibly, from 61.6 to a 61.7 out of 100 from last year.
The highest overall well-being tends to be in the western states, with Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming comprising the rest of the top five rankings in 2015.
Standout states like Delaware and South Carolina, however, ranked highest in individual categories — sense of purpose and social life, respectively — while mid-Atlantic states generally rank in the third and fourth quintile.