New Hampshire Named Ninth Happiest State

It seems that people around here have a lot to be happy about.

A recent Gallup poll found New Hampshire was the ninth happiest state in the country last year. Hawaii is once again number one in having the highest level of well-being.

Massachusetts led on access to basic necessities for the second year in a row, with a Basic Access score of 86.6. Gallup said this high rating is partly a result of the high percentage of residents who have health insurance in the state. 

Overall, Western and Midwestern states earned 9 of the 10 highest wellbeing scores, while Southern states accounted for half of the 10 lowest wellbeing scores.

These state-level data are based on daily surveys conducted from January through December 2011. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where a score of 100 represents ideal wellbeing.

The Well-Being Index score for the nation was 66.2 in 2011, which is down slightly from 66.8 in 2010 and the lowest score Gallup and Healthways have recorded since tracking began in 2008.