Happiness is something everyone, everywhere strives for. But with a staggering statistic showing that only 47% of Americans are happy with the way their life is going, we seem to be off course.
A new study from WalletHub analyzed the happiest states in the U.S. and you’ll be surprised to know where New York landed. Results derived from a happiness scale, scored out of 100, using three key factors: emotional & physical well-being, work environment, and community & environment.
The 10 happiest states in the U.S.:
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Utah
- Delaware
- Minnesota
- Connecticut
- Idaho
- Nebraska
- Massachusetts
So you may be wondering, is New York one of the unhappiest states then? Well, not quite.
New York ranked as the 23rd happiest state in the U.S, receiving a total happiness score of 52.46. That is a 16.25 difference in happiness score compared to the happiest state, Hawaii. New York ranked nearly last of the states for work environment and community & environment. However, New York ranked seventh for emotional and physical well-being. Plus, New York did rank as the fifth lowest state for the share of adult depression.
The 10 least happy states in the U.S.:
- Lousiana
- Arkansas
- West Virgina
- Tennessee
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi
- Kentucky
Funny enough, our neighbors (dare we say enemies) over in Jersey somehow managed to rank as the third happiest state in the nation. This is a result of the state’s low insecurity food rate, lowest childhood trauma reports, and second highest life satisfaction. New Jersey also has the third-highest share of households earning over $75,000 per year. At least NYC was named the best city in America!
“In addition to pursuing your passions, having a good work-life balance and maintaining an emotional support network, another key way to boost your happiness is living in the right place. The happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a wide variety of areas, from strong state economies and high quality physical and mental health care to adequate amounts of leisure time and good weather,” shared WalletHub analyst, Chip Lupo.
Find the full study on WalletHub.