Massachusetts Falls Sharply in National Well-Being Rankings

Friday, January 29, 2016

Brendan Murray, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Massachusetts is getting less healthy, at least according to Gallup. In a new report on the Well-Being of each state in the union from the public research company, Massachusetts took the largest fall, plummeting 13 spots in the rankings released this week.

The data is part of Gallup’s annual report entitled “The State of American-Well Being—2015 State Well-Being Rankings." Massachusetts was ranked 30th out of the fifty states and the District of Columbia, after being ranked 17th in the 2014 rankings.

To determine the rankings, Gallup scores each state in five different categories in order to determine a final well-being score. The categories—purpose, social, financial, community, and physical—measure a broad range of health and welfare factors. Massachusetts was given a total well-being score of 61.8

Scott Zoback, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, told GoLocal that despite the low ranking, he believes Massachusetts is one of the healthiest states in the country.

“Massachusetts consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the nation in surveys, including 'America’s Health Rankings,' the longest-running, comprehensive state-by-state study of our nation’s health," Zoback told GoLocal. "We continue to strive to lead the way as a state where all people have an opportunity to achieve health.”

Last In New England, Bottom Half Nationally

Massachusetts’ well-being ranking paled in comparison to the rest of New England. Of the six states typically considered part of the region, Massachusetts finished the worst. Connecticut led the way, receiving a well-being score of 62.2, placing them in 18th nationally.

New Hampshire received a score of 62.1 and was ranked 21st while Maine also received a 62.1 and finished in 22nd. Vermont was given a score of 61.9, while Rhode Island was given a 61.8 good enough for 26th and 29th nationally, respectively.

Massachusetts’ best scores—and the only rankings in the top 25 nationally—came in the categories of physical and financial well-being, which measure physical health and energy and economic stress and security, respectively. The state was ranked 12th in physical well-being and 25th in financial well-being.

In all other categories, Massachusetts lagged behind at least 50 percent of the country. The state was ranked 28th in social well-being, which tracks supportive relationships, 34th in community well-being, which measures how much a person likes the area they live in, and 47th, just three stops from the bottom, in purpose, which records how many people like what they do and achieve their goals.

The Vermont State House

Around the U.S.

Nationally, well-being is statistically unchanged from 2014, with the Well-Being Index score for the U.S. at 61.7 in 2015, compared to 61.6 in 2014. That's good news, according to Gallup.

"There are many positive national wellbeing trends including an uptick in financial well-being, a decline in the uninsured rate, a decline in smoking to its lowest rate since our measurement began in 2008, an increase in reported exercise, and declines in both food and health care insecurity," the report read. "Life evaluation— how Americans rate and perceive their lives—also reached its highest levels yet. Well-being in the U.S. exhibits regional patterns, with the northern plains and mountain."

Since 2012, the top 10 states with the most consistently high well-being scores are Hawaii, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Alaska and Vermont. In terms of the well-being elements, in 2015 Delaware leads in purpose; South Carolina in social; Alaska in financial; Montana in community; and Hawaii in physical.

According to the Gallup report, the states that most often receive the highest and lowest marks for well being show off some common elements.

“At the same time, the citizens in many of the lowest well-being states have consistently reported low well-being since 2008,” Gallup wrote. “West Virginia and Kentucky have been the lowest and second lowest well-being states in the country, respectively, for seven straight years. West Virginia is last in the nation in four of the five elements while Mississippi has the lowest financial well-being in the nation.”