Charleston, W.V., Worst for Well-Being, Gallup Poll Finds

Charleston, W.V. ranks last for well-being. (Image credit: Getty Images)

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

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