Charleston, W.V., Worst for Well-Being, Gallup Poll Finds
Despite its slogan - Hip, Historic … Almost Heaven - Charleston, W.V., comes in last on Gallup's latest well-being poll.
The city scored a meager 60.8 points on the pollster's well-being index - a 100-point scale measuring physical and emotional health, work environment and access to basic necessities.
The nearby Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area scored 61.2, landing in the bottom two for the third year in a row.
Mobile, Ala., Utica-Rome, N.Y., Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C., and Fort Smith, Ark.-Okla., round out the roster of frequent bottom dwellers.
Topping the list was Lincoln, Neb., which scored 72.8, landing in the top 20 cities for the third year in a row. Honolulu came in first for emotional health, and Charlottesville, Va., ranked No. 1 for physical health, according to the poll.
Top 10 Metropolitan Areas for Well-Being
- Lincoln, Neb. - 72.8
- Boulder, Colo. - 72.7
- Burlington-South Burlington, Vt. - 72.4
- Provo-Orem, Utah - 71.7
- Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo. - 71.6
- Barnstable Town, Mass. - 71.5
- Honolulu, Hawaii - 71.5
- Ann Arbor, Mich. - 71.4
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C., Va., Md., W.V. - 71.3
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif. - 71.2
Bottom 11 Metropolitan Areas for Well-Being
- Charleston, W.V. - 60.8
- Huntington-Ashland, W.V., Ky., Ohio - 61.2
- Mobile, Ala. - 62.4
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas - 62.5
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C. - 62.7
- Fort Smith, Ark., Okla. - 62.9
- Bakersfield, Calif. - 63.0
- Evansville, Ind., Ky. - 63.1
- Rockford, Ill. - 63.1
- Spartanburg, S.C. - 63.4
- Utica-Rome, N.Y. - 63.4
Click here to see how your city stacks up.