Colorado rated No. 2 state for well-being, Buffs respond

Colorado just got ranked.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for 2012 declared Colorado the No. 2 state in the country for well-being, right behind Hawaii. The project measures six categories: life evaluation, physical health, emotional health, healthy behavior, work environment and basic access.

Junior mechanical engineering major, Bonita Gurule stretches prior to a work out at the CU Rec Center. The CU Rec Center provides a convenient place for students to maintain a healthy lifestyle. (Nate Bruzdzinski/CU Independent)

The Well-Being project started in 2008 with the goal to truly understand American lifestyle and needs in order to improve upon them. The project annually gathers information, via phone, from 1,000 random people for 350 days a year.

In all but one of those categories, Colorado saw ratings increase from the previous year. Basic access remained the same. In the 2011 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Colorado was placed sixth in overall well-being, so the state climbed four places to end up in the second position this year.

In 2012 Boulder also became the No. 2 metropolitan area in terms of well-being, out of 189 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Boulder contributed to the state’s overall best physical health in the country.

Though Colorado may not have the title of “state with highest well-being,” we rank No. 1 in several other categories. For example, “Best Places to Live” by CNN Money, “Entrepreneurship and Innovation” by Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration and “Best Breastfeeding in First 6 Months” by Center for Disease Control. Colorado also has the highest incorporated city in the United States, Leadville, the longest continuous street in America, Colfax Avenue, more microbreweries per capita than any other state and the world’s largest rodeo, the National Western Stock Show, every year.

If Colorado keeps up its improvement, we could easily reach No. 1 in the 2013 survey, kicking Hawaii out of its title spot, which it’s maintained for four consecutive years.

I surveyed 28 CU students in class, on campus and in the C4C to see how passionate Buffs are about their state. I asked them to rate each category on a scale of one to five: one being “I strongly disagree,” three being “neutral” and five being “I strongly agree.”