Happiness can come from a multitude of factors, from weather to the job market, but when it comes to the state of your well-being, is it really location, location, location?
Well, according to a new study, some states are significantly happier than others.
A new report by the personal finance platform Wallet Hub ranked the happiest states across the country by analyzing 30 metrics across three categories (emotional and physical well-being; work environment; and community and environment) with subsets for factors like depression rates, sleep adequacy, unemployment, and income growth, and found it’s not just climate that contribute to one’s quality of life.
The happiest state in the country was Utah, with a total score of 69.79 on a 100-point scale, followed by Hawaii (66.42), and Maryland (64.62). While Utah and Maryland also ranked in the top 10 for subsets of work environment and community, Hawaii lagged behind in both metrics — at 25 for work environment and 30 for community — but ranked No. 1 for emotional and physical well-being.
As for the unhappiest states, West Virginia was found to be the least happy state in the U.S., with a total score of 35.08, ranking as the worst state for emotional and physical well-being as well as work environment. Louisiana came in as the No. 2 least happy state (35.86), followed by Tennessee (38.30).
Here are the top 10 most and least happy states in the country in 2023, according to the report, along with their ranking for emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community and environment.
Happiest States:
1. Utah
Total score: 69.79
Emotional and physical well-being: 16
Work Environment: 1
Community & environment: 1
2. Hawaii
Total score: 66.42
Emotional and physical well-being: 1
Work Environment: 25
Community & environment: 30
3. Maryland
Total score: 64.62
Emotional and physical well-being: 8
Work Environment: 4
Community & environment: 5
4. Minnesota
Total score: 62.82
Emotional and physical well-being: 10
Work Environment: 3
Community & environment: 13
5. New Jersey
Total score: 61.98
Emotional and physical well-being: 3
Work Environment: 14
Community & environment: 29
6. Connecticut
Total score: 60.68
Emotional and physical well-being: 6
Work Environment: 32
Community & environment: 8
7. California
Total score: 60.53
Emotional and physical well-being: 5
Work Environment: 34
Community & environment: 10
8. Florida
Total score: 59.31
Emotional and physical well-being: 2
Work Environment: 21
Community & environment: 44
9. Idaho
Total score: 59.31
Emotional and physical well-being: 30
Work Environment: 6
Community & environment: 2
10. Nebraska
Total score: 58.92
Emotional and physical well-being: 12
Work Environment: 7
Community & environment: 25
Least Happy States:
1. West Virginia
Total score: 35.08
Emotional and physical well-being: 50
Work Environment: 50
Community & environment: 33
2. Louisiana
Total score: 35.86
Emotional and physical well-being: 48
Work Environment: 49
Community & environment: 43
3. Tennessee
Total score: 38.80
Emotional and physical well-being: 45
Work Environment: 38
Community & environment: 49
4. Arkansas
Total score: 39.72
Emotional and physical well-being: 49
Work Environment: 42
Community & environment: 18
5. Kentucky
Total score: 40.58
Emotional and physical well-being: 47
Work Environment: 41
Community & environment: 26
6. Alabama
Total score: 40.82
Emotional and physical well-being: 44
Work Environment: 44
Community & environment: 42
7. Mississippi
Total score: 41.42
Emotional and physical well-being: 42
Work Environment: 47
Community & environment: 41
8. Alaska
Total score: 42.20
Emotional and physical well-being: 36
Work Environment: 48
Community & environment: 47
9. New Mexico
Total score: 43.49
Emotional and physical well-being: 43
Work Environment: 45
Community & environment: 17
10. Oklahoma
Total score: 44.09
Emotional and physical well-being: 46
Work Environment: 43
Community & environment: 4
You can view the whole report, here.
Madeline Garfinkle
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