It's that time of year again…for the rankings of the healthiest(and unhealthiest) states in America.

The United Health Foundation's 2014 America's Health Rankingsreviews the status of the nation's health, state by state. For thepast 25 years, the United Health Foundation, along with theAmerican Public Health Association and the Partnership forPrevention, has been crunching data to reveal the nation's healthstrengths and weaknesses.

This year, the good news is that there's been progress on anumber of health habits such as smoking cessation and increasedchild immunization rates. Life expectancy is also the highest it'sever been. But the bad news is that obesity rates continue to climb, whilephysical activity slows down.

Read: Americansambivalent about losing weight

But let's focus on the good news first. Here are the top 10healthiest states in the nation for 2014.

10. Nebraska

Obesity rate: 29.6 percent (23rd highest)
Uninsured rate: 11.3 percent (16th lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 118.5 (25th highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 63.4 (16thhighest)

Nebraska has a low rate of drug deaths and high immunizationcoverage among children. Also on the plus side, in the past year,preventable hospitalizations fell 13 percent from 63.8 to 55.8 per1,000 Medicare beneficiaries. However, in the past 2 years,diabetes increased by 10 percent from 8.4 percent to 9.2 percent ofadults.

Photo: Getty Images

9. North Dakota

Obesity rate: 31 percent (13th highest)
Uninsured rate: 10.2 percent (10th lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 123.6 (21st highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 56.1 (25thlowest)

No change here: North Dakota was also ranked the ninthhealthiest state in 2013. The ranking for senior health in NorthDakota was 18th in 2014. In the past two years, obesity increased12 percent from 27.8 percent to 31 percent of adults. In the pasttwo years, public health funding jumped 40 percent from $78 to $109per person.

Photo: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, NorthDakota. By Michael Oswald.

8. Colorado

Obesity rate: 21.3 percent (the lowest)
Uninsured rate: 14.4 percent (18th highest)
Physicians per 100,000: 120.7 (24th highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 69.4 (11thhighest)

The Centennial State has the lowest obesity rate in the nation, assuring itsranking among the tp 10 healthiest states. In the past year,diabetes decreased 12 percent from 7.4 percent to 6.5 percent ofadults, the lowest rate in the nation. Similarly, cardiovasculardeaths have decreased by 41 percent from 332.4 to 197.1 deaths per100,000 population. On the down side, the state's uninsured rate ison the high end of the spectrum. There's also a high prevalence ofbinge drinking in the state.

Photo: Rocky Mountains, www.freedigitalphotos.net

7. New Hampshire

Obesity rate: 26.7 percent (16th lowest)
Uninsured rate: 10.7 percent (12th lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 135.7 (10th highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 64.9 (11thhighest)

New Hampshire fell two spots in the rankings this year: It wasthe fifth healthiest state in the nation in 2013. That may, inpart, be due to an increased amount of drug deaths: In the pastyear, drug deaths increased 20 percent from 11.2 to 13.4 deaths per100,000 population. The good news is that in the past two years,smoking fell 17 percent from 19.4 percent to 16.2 percent ofadults.

6. Minnesota

Obesity rate: 25.5 percent (10th lowest)
Uninsured rate: 8.1 percent (4th lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 145.2 (7th highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 62.4 (17thhighest)

The Gopher State also fell in the rankings this year. It heldthe No. 3 spot in 2013. But Minnesota still has some good healthstats on its side: It has one of the nation's lowest uninsuredrates and has the 10th lowest obesity rate in the nation. Theranking for senior health in Minnesota alsowas first in 2014.

Photo: White Bear Lake, Associated Press/Ben Garvin

5. Utah

Obesity rate: 24.1 percent (4th lowest)
Uninsured rate: 14.2 percent (20th highest)
Physicians per 100,000: 80.8 (7th lowest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 67.3 (13thhighest)

Utah is moving on up: This year the Beehive State is ranked 5th;it was 6th last year. Among its strengths is a low prevalence ofsmoking and a low rate of preventable hospitalizations.Comparitively, its obesity rate is one of the best in the nation,too. However, the report notes that in the past year, physicalinactivity increased by 16 percent from 16.5 percent to 19.1percent of adults.

Photo: Mesa Arch in Canyonland National Park, Utah,www.freedigitalphotos.net

4. Connecticut

Obesity rate: 24.9 percent (8th highest)
Uninsured rate: 9.3 percent (8th lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 166.7 (6th highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 79.1 (6thhighest)

Connecticut is the 4th healthiest state this year; it was 7th in2013. Among the state's strengths: it has a low prevalence ofsmoking, a low occupational fatalities rate and a high immunizationcoverage among children. And, though the state's obesity rate ishigh, in the past two years, physical inactivity decreased by 11percent from 25.5 percent to 22.8 percent of adults, the reportsaid. Its challenges include a high prevalence of binge drinking, ahigh rate of preventable hospitalizations and a large disparity inhealth status by education level.

Photo: Getty Images

3. Massachusetts

Obesity rate: 23.6 percent (3rd highest)
Uninsured rate: 3.8 percent (the lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 200.8 (the highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in2012: 85.6 (the highest)

Once again, Massachusetts has the lowest uninsured rate in the nation. Just 3.8 percentof its residents are uninsured thanks to the state's health reformthat went into effect back in 2006. It now ranks as the thirdhealthiest state in the nation. Last year, it was ranked 4th. Italso ranks first for the number of available primary care doctorsand dentists in the nation.

Photo: Boston. By Arvind Balaraman.

2. Vermont

Obesity rate 24.7 percent (7thlowest)
Uninsured rate: 6.8 percent (2nd lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 170.9 (4th highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 60 (21sthighest)

Despite being ranked the second healthiest state in the nationfor the last two years, Vermont has still made some considerablegains in the last couple years in the health department: In thelast two years, smoking decreased by 13 percent from 19.1 percentto 16.6 percent of adults. And, in the past year, binge drinkingdecreased by 11 percent from 19.3 percent to 17.1 percent ofadults.

Photo: freedigitalphotos.net

1. Hawaii

Obesity rate: 21.8 percent (2ndlowest)
Uninsured rate: 6.8 percent (2nd lowest)
Physicians per 100,000: 140.2 (9th highest)
Percentage visiting dentist in 2012: 79.2 (5thhighest)

Move to Hawaii and say aloha to good health. For the thirdconsecutive year, Hawaii is the healthiest state in America'sHealth Rankings. Its continued presence among the top states is dueto its low prevalence of both smoking and obesity; a low percentageof children in poverty; small disparity in health status byeducation level; and low rates of preventable hospitalizations,cancer deaths and cardiovascular deaths.

Photo: Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. by LizNoffsinger.

Also read: The 10 fattest states in the nation