The Happiest US State May Shock You - East Idaho News
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The Happiest US State May Shock You

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Getty 022114 NorthDakota?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1393022150897Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — North Dakota is booming with oil and its residents are brimming with happiness.

The Midwest state is so content that it even dethroned Hawaii, which fell to eighth, as the happiest place in the United States, according to an annual survey from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

It’s hard to believe that Hawaii — with all of its lush landscapes, beautiful beaches and stunning sunsets — is no longer the happiest state in the union.

Here are the top-five states in the well-being index.

First was North Dakota, followed by South Dakota. Next? Nebraska, Minnesota, Montana.

Click here to check out the complete rankings of Gallup’s “Well-Being Index” for 2013.

States were measured on six sub-indexes, including individual life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities.

North Dakotans had the highest scores for work environment and physical health, which makes sense, given the slew of oil field jobs that pay in the six figure range.

The data was based on more than 178,000 interviews conducted last year with adults across all 50 states.

Perhaps it’s just that folksy midwestern charm, but here are a few reasons why North Dakotans may be so happy.

North Dakota’s oil boom has created many high-paying jobs, not to mention the state’s beautiful landscapes. And Josh Duhamel, a native of North Dakota, has high praise for his home state — or so it seems when he’s voicing the tourism ads.

Are you surprised where your state ranked?


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