The objective of this study was to build an Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB) for the Brazilian federation units, considering the years 2002 and 2008. Specifically, we determine the levels of economic well-being and their sub-components. The proposed index was composed of four distinct dimensions: "Consumption Flows", "Real Wealth – Intergenerational Legacy", "Equity" and "Economic Security". The main results demonstrated that, independently of the weights attributed in the index, Santa Catarina was the Brazilian state that revealed the highest economic well-being in relation to the others. On the other hand, Alagoas was the worst state. Considering the necessity to construct a synthetic measure to determine the economic well-being and in face of the importance of economic indicators in the implementation and monitoring of public policy, the IEWB demonstrated to be capable to measure more adequately the distinguished aspects associated with a decent standard of living.The objective of this study was to build an Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB) for the Brazilian federation units, considering the years 2002 and 2008. Specifically, we determine the levels of economic well-being and their sub-components. The proposed index was composed of four distinct dimensions: "Consumption Flows", "Real Wealth – Intergenerational Legacy", "Equity" and "Economic Security". The main results demonstrated that, independently of the weights attributed in the index, Santa Catarina was the Brazilian state that revealed the highest economic well-being in relation to the others. On the other hand, Alagoas was the worst state. Considering the necessity to construct a synthetic measure to determine the economic well-being and in face of the importance of economic indicators in the implementation and monitoring of public policy, the IEWB demonstrated to be capable to measure more adequately the distinguished aspects associated with a decent standard of living.O presente artigo tem por objetivo a construção de um Índice de Bem-Estar Econômico (IBEE) para as unidades da federação brasileira, considerando os anos de 2002 e 2008. Especificamente, busca-se verificar os níveis de bem-estar econômico e de seus subcomponentes, além de compará-los entre os estados brasileiros. O índice proposto foi composto por quatro dimensões distintas: “Fluxos de consumo”, “Riqueza real – Legado intergeracional”, “Equidade” e “Seguridade econômica”. Os principais resultados demonstraram que, independentemente da ponderação utilizada, Santa Catarina foi o estado brasileiro que apresentou o maior bem-estar econômico em relação aos demais. Por outro lado, Alagoas foi o estado com pior desempenho, ocupando a última posição do ranking em todas as análises. Considerando a necessidade de construção de uma medida sintética de bem-estar econômico e tendo em vista a relevância de indicadores para subsidiar a implementação e monitoramento de políticas públicas, o IBEE apresenta-se como um índice capaz de mensurar de maneira mais adequada os distintos aspectos associados a um padrão de vida decente.