And The Happiest State In America Is....

Where do all the happy people live? If you’re searching for better well-being, you might want to head outside the contiguous U.S.

According to a new Gallup poll, part of the annual “State of the States” series, Alaska and Hawaii rank first and second highest, respectively, for overall well-being in America. The poll included 176,000 interviews conducted from January to December 2014 in all 50 states.

How do you measure well-being? The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index runs from zero to 100, and ranks the states based on five metrics that encapsulate well-being: purpose (you like what you do and feel motivated to excel), social (you have supportive people in your life), financial (you’re managing your money with minimal stress), community (you’re content with your city and region), and physical (you have good health and high energy).

Although Gallup and Healthways slightly tweak their metrics every year, they say data for each year can still be compared with other years to measure general well-being. Certain trends also become evident: For instance, if you’re planning a move, you may want to consider The Northern Plains states, which always score high in well-being — and avoid the South and industrial Midwest, regions that perpetually receive low scores.