If moving to Finland, the happiest country in the world, is a more complicated option, you might consider some places right here in the United States.
A WalletHub released its annual ranking of the happiest states in America. To determine where Americans are happiest, the personal finance site compared the 50 states in three main categories:
1. Emotional and physical well-being
2. Work environment
3. Community and environment
Utah was ranked as the happiest state in the U.S., with an overall score of 69.79 out of 100.
Although it ranked 16th in emotional and physical well-being, Utah placed at the top in both work environment and community and environment.
According to the WalletHub report, Utah had the highest volunteer rate at 40.7%, 2.6 times higher than Florida, which recorded the lowest volunteer rate in the country.
Utah also had the lowest separation and divorce rate.
The state has been one of the fastest-growing regions since 2000, according to The Atlantic. The 2020 U.S. Census showed that Utah had the fastest population growth in the U.S. since 2010. This rapid growth is partly due to the rise of the tech industry with the arrival of companies like Artic Wolf and Adobe.
Hawaii is the second happiest state in the U.S. and the highest ranked in emotional and physical well-being. It also has the lowest adult depression rate and the fourth lowest divorce rate. However, it ranked 25th in work environment and 30th in community and environment.
It is also home to the capital Honolulu, ranked as the second most expensive city in the U.S. to live in, according to the S Money 2023 study. Honolulu is also one of the most visited cities in the U.S., according to the World Atlas.
Maryland completes the top three. The state scored a total of 64.62 and ranked eighth in emotional and physical well-being, fourth in work environment, and fifth in community and environment.
And who are the least happy states?
Tennessee, Louisiana, and West Virginia occupy the last three positions, respectively. The last place, West Virginia, scored the worst total: 35.08 and also performed the worst among all states in the emotional and physical well-being and work environment categories.
Want to know if your state is happier or less happy? Visit the link: https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959
Source: CNBC and Wallet Hub