Naples, Florida ranked first for the second year in a row on the Gallup-Healthways Community Well-Being Index, which rated 189 U.S. communities across physical, emotional, financial, community, and social health measures derived from 350,000 interviews conducted in 2015 and 2016.
Naples, Fla. tops U.S. well-being rankings for second consecutive year
Naples, Florida ranked first for the second year in a row on the Gallup-Healthways Community Well-Being Index, which rated 189 U.S. communities across physical, emotional, financial, community, and social health measures derived from 350,000 interviews conducted in 2015 and 2016.
Barnstable, Massachusetts and Santa Cruz, California followed Naples near the top of the rankings, continuing a pattern of coastal metro areas scoring well on the index.
Lead researcher Dan Witters said the correlation between coastal living and well-being is limited in scope. 'Clinical depression is less likely, and healthy eating is slightly improved, but after that the advantages run out,' he said, adding that holistic well-being extends beyond climate: 'You don't need a beach to have someone who encourages you to be healthy; you don't need a beach to learn new and interesting things; you don't need a beach to get to the dentist.'
Highly ranked inland communities such as Boulder, Colorado and El Paso, Texas recorded residents who reported a strong sense of purpose, which researchers linked to shared culture and a feeling of belonging. Healthways president Karissa Price said that motivation is tied to community investment: 'It isn't just about physical health or income — there is a larger need to feel connected.'
Communities in the Southeastern United States and the industrial Midwest generally ranked lower on the index, partly due to higher rates of smoking and obesity, according to the report.
- The source does not state the full ranking order beyond the top three communities.
- The source does not identify which specific communities in the Southeast and industrial Midwest ranked lowest.
- The source does not describe the methodology used to weight or combine the five well-being dimensions into a single score.
- The source does not state the margin of difference in scores between Naples and the communities ranked immediately below it.
- The source does not indicate whether the index results have been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.