Happiness comes from a combination of internal and external factors. We can influence it somewhat by approaching situations positively or choosing to spend time with people we love, doing activities we enjoy. It’s harder to be happy in some years than in others, though. The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the biggest stressors during the past two years, but now rampant inflation is more of a threat to Americans’ mental health. In fact, 87% of Americans are “anxious” or “very anxious” about inflation, according to a recent American Psychiatric Association poll.
In this study, WalletHub drew upon the findings of “happiness” research to determine which environmental factors are linked to a person’s overall well-being and satisfaction with life. Previous studies have found that good economic, emotional, physical and social health are all key to a well-balanced and fulfilled life.
To determine where Americans exhibit the best combination of these factors, we examined the 50 states across 30 key metrics, ranging from the depression rate and the share of adults feeling productive to income growth and the unemployment rate.
Main Findings
Happiest States in the U.S.
| Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Emotional & Physical Well-Being | Work Environment | Community & Environment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 66.31 | 1 | 17 | 7 |
| 2 | Maryland | 62.60 | 5 | 24 | 4 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 62.43 | 10 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | Utah | 62.41 | 29 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | New Jersey | 61.71 | 2 | 28 | 19 |
| 6 | Idaho | 61.60 | 25 | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | California | 59.97 | 12 | 14 | 5 |
| 8 | Illinois | 58.59 | 3 | 33 | 34 |
| 9 | Nebraska | 58.19 | 13 | 7 | 22 |
| 10 | Connecticut | 58.15 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| 11 | Virginia | 57.84 | 9 | 20 | 27 |
| 12 | South Dakota | 57.60 | 15 | 10 | 15 |
| 13 | North Dakota | 57.37 | 19 | 9 | 10 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 57.12 | 6 | 15 | 41 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 56.46 | 18 | 13 | 20 |
| 16 | Iowa | 55.57 | 21 | 6 | 29 |
| 17 | Delaware | 55.16 | 11 | 41 | 18 |
| 18 | Florida | 55.08 | 4 | 30 | 48 |
| 19 | Georgia | 54.78 | 16 | 32 | 14 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 53.65 | 14 | 25 | 40 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 53.61 | 20 | 16 | 37 |
| 22 | Washington | 53.53 | 33 | 5 | 8 |
| 23 | New York | 53.36 | 8 | 42 | 45 |
| 24 | Maine | 52.67 | 22 | 19 | 35 |
| 25 | Wyoming | 52.40 | 36 | 31 | 3 |
| 26 | Oregon | 52.11 | 30 | 12 | 23 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | 51.87 | 26 | 34 | 21 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | 51.55 | 23 | 18 | 43 |
| 29 | Montana | 51.34 | 41 | 4 | 13 |
| 30 | Colorado | 50.70 | 27 | 8 | 47 |
| 31 | Arizona | 50.22 | 28 | 29 | 33 |
| 32 | Kansas | 49.90 | 31 | 23 | 26 |
| 33 | South Carolina | 49.62 | 32 | 38 | 11 |
| 34 | Vermont | 48.46 | 34 | 11 | 44 |
| 35 | Nevada | 48.16 | 35 | 43 | 6 |
| 36 | Texas | 47.74 | 17 | 39 | 50 |
| 37 | Indiana | 47.41 | 37 | 22 | 30 |
| 38 | Ohio | 46.81 | 39 | 36 | 16 |
| 39 | Michigan | 46.51 | 38 | 35 | 24 |
| 40 | Alaska | 46.27 | 24 | 37 | 49 |
| 41 | Missouri | 45.38 | 40 | 27 | 35 |
| 42 | New Mexico | 43.64 | 42 | 47 | 17 |
| 43 | Tennessee | 43.35 | 44 | 26 | 42 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | 40.69 | 46 | 44 | 12 |
| 45 | Mississippi | 39.58 | 43 | 50 | 38 |
| 46 | Alabama | 39.32 | 45 | 40 | 46 |
| 47 | Kentucky | 38.36 | 49 | 45 | 25 |
| 48 | Arkansas | 38.23 | 47 | 46 | 31 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 34.81 | 48 | 49 | 39 |
| 50 | West Virginia | 33.83 | 50 | 48 | 32 |
Note: *No. 1 = Happiest
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
- Lowest
- 1. Hawaii
- 2. California
- T-3. Illinois
- T-3. Florida
- 5. New Jersey
- Highest
- T-45. Louisiana
- T-45. Arkansas
- 47. Vermont
- 48. Tennessee
- 49. Kentucky
- 50. West Virginia
- Highest
- 1. Colorado
- 2. Minnesota
- 3. Vermont
- 4. Nebraska
- 5. South Dakota
- Lowest
- 46. Pennsylvania
- 47. Kentucky
- 48. Alabama
- 49. Hawaii
- 50. West Virginia
- Highest
- 1. Utah
- 2. Colorado
- 3. Vermont
- 4. Washington
- 5. Oregon
- Lowest
- 46. Oklahoma
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. Kentucky
- Lowest
- 1. New Jersey
- 2. New York
- 3. Massachusetts
- 4. Rhode Island
- 5. Maryland
- Highest
- 46. Idaho
- 47. New Mexico
- 48. Montana
- 49. Alaska
- 50. Wyoming
- Fewest
- 1. Utah
- T-2. Rhode Island
- T-2. Oregon
- T-2. Vermont
- 5. Massachusetts
- Most
- 46. Louisiana
- 47. Texas
- T-48. North Dakota
- T-48. Wyoming
- 50. Alaska
- Lowest
- 1. South Dakota
- 2. Nebraska
- 3. Utah
- T-4. North Dakota
- T-4. Montana
- T-4. Idaho
- Highest
- 46. Hawaii
- 47. New Jersey
- 48. California
- 49. New York
- 50. Nevada
- Highest
- 1. California
- 2. Oregon
- 3. Washington
- 4. Rhode Island
- 5. Colorado
- Lowest
- 46. Connecticut
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. North Dakota
- 49. Wyoming
- 50. Alaska
- Highest
- 1. Utah
- 2. South Dakota
- 3. Nebraska
- 4. Colorado
- 5. Minnesota
- Lowest
- 46. Kentucky
- 47. Mississippi
- 48. Florida
- 49. Nevada
- 50. New York
- Lowest
- 1. Utah
- 2. North Dakota
- 3. New Jersey
- 4. Hawaii
- 5. Nebraska
- Highest
- 46. Mississippi
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. Florida
- 49. New Mexico
- 50. Nevada
- Safest
- 1. Vermont
- 2. Maine
- 3. New Hampshire
- 4. Minnesota
- 5. Utah
- Least Safe
- 46. Oklahoma
- 47. Arkansas
- 48. Texas
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. Louisiana
Ask the Experts
Happiness is more than a feeling of joy or excitement. It relies on various aspects of a person’s life — from emotional well-being to job satisfaction. To expand the discussion, we asked a panel of experts to share their advice and insight on achieving overall happiness and career contentment. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- What are the key ingredients to a happy life?
- How important is money to people’s happiness?
- What are the secrets to career contentment?
- How much does where you live influence your happiness?
- What are some steps a person can take to protect their psychological well-being?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D. – Distinguished Professor and Director of Graduate Training; Associate Editor, Journal of Personality; Associate Editor, Journal of Personality Assessment; Department of Psychology – Oakland University
Read More
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences – Washington University in St. Louis
Read More
Ph.D. – Professor of Business, HR and Higher Ed. Consultant
Read More
Ph.D. – Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics, Associate Professor of Business Administration; SWUFE-UD Joint Institute Fellow; Women's Leadership Institute Fellow – University of Delaware
Read More
Professor, Director Clinical Psychology Program, Psychology Department – Emporia State University
Read More
Ph.D. – Founder, Power of Drishti Meditations; Professor of Clinical Psychology; Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology – University of California, Santa Barbara
Read More
Methodology
In order to determine the happiest states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Work Environment and 3) Community & Environment.
We evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness.
Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Our analysis draws upon the findings of the following research, each of which has indicated a correlation between our data and happiness:
- Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity (Chan and Diener, 2010)
- Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences (Bhattacharjee and Mogilner, 2014)
- Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data (Huang and Humphreys, 2010)
- Unhappy Cities (Glaeser, et al., 2014)
Emotional & Physical Well-Being - Total Points: 50
- Career Well-Being: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index,” particularly the “Purpose” element, defined as “Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals.” - Physical Health Index: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric measures self-reported effects of disease on personal happiness. - Adverse Childhood Experiences: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
- Share of Adult Depression: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of adults aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with depression. - Social Well-Being: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index”, particularly the “Social” element, defined as “having supportive relationships and love in your life.” - Share of Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder: Double Weight (~4.76 Points)
- Adequate-Sleep Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
- Sports-Participation Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
- Share of Adults Feeling Active & Productive: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Gallup’s “State of the States” poll and measures the share of state residents who reported feeling active and productive every day for seven days prior to polling. - Share of Adults with Mental Health Not Good: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: Percentage of Adults With 14 or More Mental Unhealthy Days Reported in the Past Month. - Life Expectancy: Double Weight (~4.76 Points)
- Suicide Rate: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Food-Insecurity Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Work Environment - Total Points: 25
- Number of Work Hours: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Share of Adults Worried About Money: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Gallup’s “State of the States” poll and measures the share of state residents who reported worrying about money every day for seven days prior to polling. - Current Unemployment Rate: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Share of Civilian Labor Force Unemployed 15 Weeks or Longer: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Job Security: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: This metric measures the probability of unemployment. - Job Satisfaction Score: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Monster and Brandwatch’s “Job Happiness Report” and measures how much people love or hate their jobs based on an analysis of two million related tweets. The ratio score was calculated as follows: Number of People Who Love Their Jobs / Number of People Who Hate Their Jobs. - Income-Growth Rate: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Economic Security: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index”, particularly the “Economic Security” element, defined as “community members who are employed, insured, and otherwise stable financially.” - Median Credit Score: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
Community & Environment - Total Points: 25
- Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
- Ideal Weather: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking and was calculated as the average of the ranking for the top three cities by population in the state. - Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
- Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Safety: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Safest States in America” ranking.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feeding America, Gallup, Brandwatch, TransUnion, Minnesota Population Center - University of Minnesota, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, County Health Rankings, United Health Foundation, the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index and WalletHub research.
Supporting Video Files:
- YouTube - National (for web embedding)
- YouTube - Hawaii (for web embedding)
- Raw video files (for editing into clips)
