A recent study reveals that if you’re a resident of Hawaii you’re most likely to be happy. Sunshine, however, is not the sole variable for an upbeat mood as California (#17) and Florida (#42) did not place in the top 10. In fact, 10 Southern States fall into the lower range of these findings. Furthermore, four of the top five  States are Northern States. The above heatmap shows the visualization where darker (green) states are the happiest.

The recent, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, reveals which states are happiest. The index includes questions about six types of well-being, including overall evaluation of persons’ lives, emotional health, physical health, behavior, and job satisfaction.

Here are the top & bottom 10 states in order:

1. Hawaii: 70.2
2. North Dakota: 70.0
3. Minnesota: 69.2
4. Utah: 69.0
5. Alaska: 69.0
6. Colorado: 68.4
7. Kansas: 68.4
8. Nebraska: 68.3
9. New Hampshire: 68.2
10. Montana: 68.0

Least Happy States:

40. Nevada: 65.0
41. Tennessee: 65.0
42. Florida: 64.9
43. Missouri: 64.8
44. Arkansas: 64.7
45. Alabama: 64.6
46. Ohio: 64.5
47. Delaware: 64.2
48. Mississippi: 63.4
49. Kentucky: 63.3
50. West Virginia: 62.3