Getting older has its obvious downsides: Just ask anyone over 55 who can’t find their reading glasses or remember an acquaintance’s name!

But here’s some surprising news: When it comes to financial security and overall happiness, people 55 and older rank significantly higher than their younger counterparts. What’s more, Colorado’s seniors are among the happiest seniors in the country.

In phone surveys of 115,000 older Americans, conducted by the Gallup-Healthways State of American Well-Being series, seniors “expressed higher satisfaction with their standard of living, said they worry less about money, and said they have enough money to do what they want. They also reported higher rates of having health insurance and a personal doctor, and lower incidence of obesity and depression than young Americans,” notes a Washington Post report on the survey.

The level of well-being varies by location. The states with the happiest seniors are Colorado, Hawaii, Arizona, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Arizona.

“The 55 and over crowd in those top states…report always making time for regular trips and vacations with family and friends, reaching their goals in the last 12 months, using their strengths and aptitudes as a human being. In other words, doing things that are a natural right fit for them,” survey research director Dan Witters told the Washington Post.

By contrast, the states with the lowest levels of well-being in this age group are West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ohio and Indiana.