Hawaii is least stressed, Utah most

Living in paradise evidently has its advantages for the third year in a row, Hawaii is considered the least stressed state, a U.S. poll indicates. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index indicates Americans' average stress level was 39.4 percent last year, similar to that of 2009, which was at 39.9 percent, and 2008, which was 38.8 percent. The data for all 50 states were gathered from January through December 2010 and involved more than 350,000 telephone interviews. In 2010, 30.2 percent of Hawaiians said they felt stressed for much of the previous day, while the residents of Utah were the most likely to report experiencing stress, at 45.1 percent, the poll found. States with 40 percent or more people reporting being stressed are mostly clustered in the West and Northeast, but also include Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. States with lower stress levels less than 38 percent are primarily located in parts of the Midwest, Gallup officials say. The poll reveals earning more money or being in great physical shape doesn't necessarily protect against all of life's stressors, because family and career issues affect individuals' daily stress levels. Connecticut is considered a high-earning state, while Utah and Massachusetts have good physical health yet all three rank relatively high in stress. Overall the margin of error is 1 percentage point, but large states have a margin of error of 1 percentage point to 2 parentage points, while small states have a margin of error of 4 percentage points.