What does that other city have that mine doesn't? We hope leaders and citizens countrywide are asking themselves that question after our release of the nation's best and worst cities in terms of well-being.
Among metropolitan areas with more than 1 million people, San Jose, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C. have the highest overall well-being. Among all cities, Boulder, Colo., Holland/Grand Haven, Mich., and Honolulu, Hawaii top the list.
So what boosts a city's well-being?
Have a look at the large cities that fare best on the individual metrics that make up the overall Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. In Washington, D.C., people rate their lives the best. Minneapolis/St. Paul -- which comes in fourth on the big cities list -- enjoys the best basic access and the greatest emotional health. In San Jose, Calif., people are the healthiest in terms of healthy behaviors and physical health outcomes. Workers in Raleigh, N.C. enjoy the best work environments.
Gallup and Healthways in 2008 partnered to begin tracking well-being daily because of the shared belief that only by measuring and truly understanding the problems they face can leaders develop and target solutions accordingly. As our Dan Witters reports, a city's well-being "has potential ramifications for economic development, law and order, and a sense of shared pride and purpose. The city well-being comparisons can also help to reveal best practices to celebrate for some and a call to arms for others."
Cities that did not fare well can use these data to better understand where they are under-performing and target their policies and budgets accordingly.
You can download individual city, state, and congressional district well-being reports on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index site. In addition, our Gallup.com "State of the States" feature has sortable data by state across our key well-being, politics, and business measures.
Many of the best performing cities and states are reacting to the news. Any thoughts on why your city or state did as well or poorly as it did?