WalletHub

Press release

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 and doing activities we enjoy.

One thing that doesn’t drive happiness is money. Happiness only increases with wealth up to an annual income of $75,000, according to a study by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, “High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being,” published in 2010 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. But one thing that can have a big influence on how we feel about life is where we choose to live.

In September WalletHub, a personal finance website based in Washington, D.C., 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, WalletHub examined the 50 states across 31 key metrics, ranging from depression rate to sports participation rate to income growth. Read on for our findings, additional insight from a panel of experts and a full description of our methodology.

For the full report visit wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959/.

Methodology

In order to determine the happiest states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) emotional and physical well-being, 2) work environment and 3) community and environment.

Those dimensions were evaluated using 31 relevant metrics such as share of adult depression, emotional health index, adequate sleep rate and sports participation rate. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness.

Each state’s weighted average was measured across all metrics to calculate its overall score and rank.

Sources

Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Council for Community and Economic Research, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feeding America, Corporation for National and Community Service, Gallup-Healthways, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, United Health Foundation, Brandwatch, TransUnion, Minnesota Population Center — University of Minnesota, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration and WalletHub research.