Utah is getting worse, according to well-being index

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

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