In 2009, Hawaii was the happiest state, and Boulder, Colo., was the happiest metropolitan region, according to data released by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Generally speaking, the states with the highest well-being were clustered in the West/Rocky Mountain region, and those with lower well-being were clustered in the Southeast.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is based on a nationwide daily survey that tries to measure the ingredients of “the good life.” It is made up of six sub-indexes: life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors and access to basic necessities like food and shelter.

Among states, Utah (2008’s well-being champion) and Montana tied for second place behind Hawaii. The states with the lowest levels of well-being were once again Kentucky and West Virginia.

Among metro regions, Boulder barely edged Honolulu and Holland-Grand Haven, Mich., to claim the top level of well-being. If you only look at the country’s biggest cities — those with populations of one million or more — the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., area scored highest, followed by the metropolitan area encompassing the District of Columbia, Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia, and parts of nearby Maryland and West Virginia.

The metro region with the lowest level of well-being was Fort Smith, Ark., and its environs in Arkansas and Oklahoma. That was followed by the Huntington-Ashland metro area covering parts of West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.

Among just the bigger cities, Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., scored lowest on well-being.