When it comes to health and wellness, where do Georgia and South Carolina land? It doesn’t look great for us. In the past few years, with the COVID-19 pandemic, many people started to consider their health and wellness more. But, there’s still work to be done.

The Health and Wellness Industry

According to LifeExtension, more people in the United States and across the world are looking for ways to promote their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The wellness industry continues to rise in value, with a massive upward trend. Currently valued at over $4 trillion per year, the Global Wellness Institute predicts it will reach $7 trillion by 2025.

More Awareness on Health

The interest in health and wellness has increased dramatically, which makes sense. With our world turned upside down, and many people being isolated for long periods of time, anxiety and depression became even more prevalent. The uncertainty drove many to speak up and start reaching out for help.

During the pandemic, many people found ways to cope by focusing on their wellness. More people were getting outside for walking, biking, and other outdoor activities. The increase in remote work also provided many with flexibility in various aspects of their life.

Healthiest Places in the United States

As with anything, there are parts of the country that perform better in certain areas. Where is the best place to live a healthy lifestyle? LifeExtension worked to measure the best and worst states for health and wellness to help people find their “happy place” and their healthy place.

Georgia and South Carolina- Where We Rank

Unfortunately, neither state ranked well when it comes to health and wellness. South Carolina is the 14th worst state (scoring 1.99 points), and Georgia isn’t much better… only two spots up at 16th (scoring 2.02 points). And you know, Georgia and South Carolina rank in the most sinful states too. What are we doing?

Out of all 50 states, Alabama ranked the worst. See below for the top 10 best states for health and wellness.

Health and Wellness Points

The data LifeExtension collected and compiled is based on CDC Health Data in the categories of mental health, general health, exercise and sleep. They also factor in Google Trends data on interest of health and wellness topics through search. Lastly, they looked at park data in relation to percentage of national parks in the states.

When it comes to the best states, you may notice it seems sunshine has an impact. And unfortunately, 4 of the 5 worst states are in the South.