The Happiest US State Is ... Hawaii wins again, followed by North Dakota and Minnesota By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff Posted Feb 27, 2012 6:01 PM CST Updated Mar 3, 2012 7:07 AM CST 26 comments Comments A woman in Hawaii, where smiles happen more easily. (Shutterstock) (Newser) – So people like sun and surf and swaying palm trees —who knew. For the third straight year, Hawaii has taken first place in a national poll of happiness among US states, LiveScience reports. The telephone survey of more than 350,000 adults posed questions about emotional health, work environment, and self-evaluation for the present and five years down the road. Here are the happiest states, including a score out of a possible 100 points: Hawaii: 70.2 North Dakota: 70.0 Minnesota: 69.2 Utah: 69.0 Alaska: 69.0 The unhappiest: West Virginia: 62.3 Kentucky: 63.3 Mississippi: 63.4 Delaware: 64.2 Ohio: 64.5 See the rest of both lists here. (Read more happiness stories.) My Take on This Story Report a story error Show results without voting | 9% Annoying 13% Hilarious 58% Intriguing 8% Depressing 9% Brilliant 3% Scary
