This Is the City With the Greatest Well-Being in America

The waterfront in Sarasota, Florida

The waterfront in Sarasota, Florida

By Victor Luckerson

April 7, 2015

If you want to live somewhere where you’ll find financial prosperity, a strong community and a sense of purpose, you should consider moving to southern Florida, according to a new poll.

Gallup’s annual Well-Being Index ranked the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan area as the city with the highest well-being in the United States. Gallup conducted 176,000 interviews with residents of all 50 states on topics including physical health, financial stability, community activity and supportive relationships. Rounding out the top five on the list, which included the country’s 100 most populous, cities were Honolulu; Raleigh, N.C.; Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif. and El Paso, Texas.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the metro area of Youngston-Warren-Boardman at the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania had the lowest well-being of major cities polled. Also in the bottom five were Toledo, Ohio; Knoxville, Tenn.; Dayton, Ohio and Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind.

See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America

Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another.

Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another.

Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis

San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural.

San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural.

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<strong>Burlington, Vt.</strong>
<em>Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids</em>
This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long.

Burlington, Vt. Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long.

Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com

<strong>Silicon Valley, Calif.</strong>
<em>Best Place for Workplace Wellness</em>
With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job.

Silicon Valley, Calif. Best Place for Workplace Wellness With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job.

Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux

<strong>Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.</strong>
<em>Best Place for Aging Well</em>
Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down.

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Best Place for Aging Well Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down.

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<strong>Denver and Boulder, Colo.</strong>
<em>Best Place for Keeping Fit</em>
The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape.

Denver and Boulder, Colo. Best Place for Keeping Fit The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape.

Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis

<strong>Plano, Texas</strong>
<em>Best Place for Staying Safe</em>
Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together.

Plano, Texas Best Place for Staying Safe Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together.

Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME

<strong>Portland, Ore.</strong>
Best Place for a Healthy Environment</em>
Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city.

Portland, Ore. Best Place for a Healthy Environment Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city.

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<strong>Boston, Mass.</strong>
<em>Best Place for Health Care</em>
This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all.

Boston, Mass. Best Place for Health Care This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all.

K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital

<strong>Provo and Orem, Utah</strong>
<em>Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being</em>
A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease.

Provo and Orem, Utah Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease.

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