Gallup Ranks Ohio Among Worst States For Overall Well-Being

Ohioans don't feel great about living in Ohio, apparently.

A new report ranked Ohio 38th in the nation for overall well-being. Gallup, the data analysis firm often associated with political polling, published its annual well-being index Wednesday. The survey found that Buckeye State residents were less happy than the average American with the following circumstances: career, social, financial, community, and physical.

Hawaii, with its perfect weather, beautiful beaches, and serene scenery, of course topped the list with a score of 64.6. But perhaps more surprisingly, rounded out the top three — Wyoming and Alaska. Here are the 10 states with the highest well-being scores:

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1. Hawaii, 64.6
2. Wyoming, 64.2
3. Alaska, 63.9
4. Montana, 63.5
5. Utah, 63.4
6. Colorado, 63.4
7. Vermont, 63.3
8. Delaware, 62.9
9. South Dakota, 62.7
10. North Dakota, 62.7

Meanwhile, West Virginia ranked dead last in the country with a score of 57.0, followed by Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Gallup highlighted the obvious regional patterns that emerged.

“The Northern Plains and Mountain West are higher well-being areas, along with some Western states and pockets of the Northeast and Atlantic,” the authors wrote. “The lowest well-being states are concentrated in the South and extend northward through the industrial Midwest.”

Physical, community, financial, social and career scores make up the five essential elements of the overall score.

• The career score reflects how much a respondent likes what they do each day and whether they’re motivated to achieve their goals;
• The social score refers to having supportive relationships and feeling loved;
• The financial refers to how an individual manages their economic life to “reduce stress and increase security”;
• The community score reflects how much the respondent like’s where they live, whether they feel safe and whether they’re proud of their community;
• Lastly, physical well-being refers to being in good health and having the energy to take on the day.

Among Gallup’s key findings — well-being scores nationwide slid from 61.5 in 2017 to 61.2 last year. And over the past two years, well-being scores have fallen 0.9 points.

“While the declines were not as acute as in 2017, 2018 saw a continuation of some of the same narratives that were used to describe 2017's drop, including erosion in social and career well-being,” Gallup wrote. “Not all elements, however, suffered from these declines. Physical well-being improved in 2018, while financial and community well-being were unchanged.”

While some may not put much stock into such surveys, Gallup stressed that a high well-being is vital to any population’s overall health and economy. It has been closely linked to key health outcomes, including lower rates of health care utilization, workplace absenteeism, workplace performance, reducing obesity and even chronic disease.

The authors suggested states with lower scores intervene, including by working with schools, employers, grocery stores and restaurants to implement healthier practices.