Utah is getting worse.
In 2012, Utah was the fourth-best state for well-being. But in 2013 it fell all the way down to number 12. Ugh.
Those numbers come from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which is based on 178,000 interviews conducted across the nation. The index was first complied in 2008 and is determined according to 55 measures of well-being.
Utah has typically done well in the index. In 2008, the Beehive State took the very top spot. By 2010, Utah dropped to number 10 before rebounding over the last couple of years. This year's ranking is Utah's lowest-ever showing on the index.
The report breaks down the states' rankings into five general categories and Utah did particularly well in "life evaluation," and "basic access." The state's lowest scores were in the "emotional health" and "physical health" categories. In an introduction, the authors of the index single Utah out as having the fewest smokers in the U.S.
The top five states for well-being in 2013 were, in order, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Montana. The bottom five, starting at the lowest, were West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Ohio. Utah came in just after New Hampshire and just above Massachusetts.
Here's the full list:
1. North Dakota
2. South Dakota
3. Nebraska
4. Minnesota
5. Montana
6. Vermont
7. Colorado
8. Hawaii
9. Washington
10. Iowa
11. New Hampshire
12. Utah
13. Massachusetts
14. Wisconsin
15. Maine
16. Alaska
17. California
18. Maryland
19. Arizona
20. Kansas
21. Texas
22. Illinois
23. New Jersey
24. Virginia
25. Oregon
26. Nevada
27. Georgia
28. Delaware
29. Idaho
30. Florida
31. Connecticut
32. North Carolina
33. New Mexico
34. Wyoming
35. New York
36. Pennsylvania
37. Michigan
38. South Carolina
39. Rhode Island
40. Indiana
41. Louisiana
42. Oklahoma
43. Missouri
44. Tennessee
45. Arkansas
46. Ohio
47. Alabama
48. Mississippi
49. Kentucky
50. West Virginia
Jim Dalrymple II
Twitter: @jimmycdii