Alaska Claims Title of Happiest State in US
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mfron/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Alaska, home to moose and the Palins, can finally claim that it is the happiest state in the U.S.
Known as the Last Frontier, Alaska scored the No. 1 spot in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for 2014, unseating North Dakota, which took the honor for 2013. The annual ratings were released Thursday.
Alaska had appeared thrice in the Top 10 since 2008, when the index started, but had never taken the top crown until now.
Hawaii came in second — after falling to eighth place in 2013 — while West Virginia took No. 50 for the sixth straight year.
States were measured on six subindexes, including individual life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors and access to basic necessities.
The data was based on more than 176,000 interviews conducted last year with adults across all 50 states.
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