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Improving financial well-being is important for employers and health plans as it’s an often overlooked determinant of overall health, medical costs and workplace performance. The 2014 Financial Well-Being State Rankings is the sixth in a series of reports based on Gallup-Healthways’ Well-Being Index. Results are from 265,369 Americans surveyed across all 50 states. The research aims to take a holistic approach to analyzing the financial well-being of Americans, including its associations to depression, smoking and activity levels.


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10. Wisconsin

Wisconsin ranks 10th overall for financial well-being. People in Wisconsin also ranked their state high in the following categories: Having enough money to buy food (6th) and not having any financial worries in the past seven days (7th).


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9. Iowa

People in Iowa ranked their state high in the following categories: Having enough money to do what you want (6th) and not having any financial worries tin the past seven days (7th).


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8. Montana

Montana ranks 8th overall for financial well-being. People in Montana also ranked their state well in the following categories: Having enough money to buy food (7th) and comparative satisfaction with their standard of living (2nd).


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7. Nebraska

The Cornhusker State takes No. 7. As for the methodology questions, the state ranked in the top 10 in all but one: Having enough money to buy food, where the state ranked No. 12.


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6. Minnesota

The Gopher State is the first to rank within the top 10 on all elements of financial well-being. The state’s population ranks best when asked if it was worried about money (3rd) and having enough money to buy food (2nd).


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5. South Dakota

South Dakota takes No. 5 and is the first to take a top spot in another category with its state’s citizens feeling most comfortable about having enough money to buy food.


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4. Wyoming

Wyoming takes the No. 4 spot for overall financial well-being and also ranks No. 4 in another category: Comfortable about having enough money to buy food. The Equality State ranked 6th in the “financially stable enough to afford health care” category.


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3. North Dakota

North Dakota ranks 3rd overall and has two 2nd place spots in the survey statements: “enough money to do everything you want to do” and “in the last seven days, you have not worried about money.”


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2. Alaska

The 2nd place state for overall financial well-being. Additionally, it’s the 2nd state to reach top 10 marks in all other categories, and the first state with No. 1 spots in two areas: a week free of financial worries and satisfaction with compared standard of living.


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1. Hawaii

The Aloha state takes the top spot for states with the highest overall financial well-being. It also takes makes top 5 in all other categories. When asked, the state’s population received other high marks including having enough money for health care as well as high satisfaction rates.


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