Do you live in the happiest state in America? Or the unhappiest?
A new study conducted by personal finance website WalletHub ranked all 50 states from happiest to unhappiest based on factors “linked to a person’s overall well-being and satisfaction with life.” The research evaluated Americans based on three key metrics that have been known to influence happiness: emotional and physical well-being, work environment and community environment.
Overall, their study concluded that West Virginia was the unhappiest state in America, as it had the lowest average of the three key metrics (ranking 49th in emotional and physical well-being, 48th in work environment and 32nd in community). Arkansas follows closely behind as the Mountaineer State, scoring an average of 36.61 on the overall happiness scale.
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The happiest state is Hawaii with a score of 68.27 on the index, followed by Utah and Minnesota in second and third, with scores of 67.84 and 67.26, respectively.
New York ranked highest in the category of “lowest share of adult depression,” followed by New Jersey, Hawaii, Texas and California, while Oregon has the highest share of adult depression in the United States. Suicide rates in Montana were the highest, which is four times higher than the lowest rate, in New Jersey. New York also ranked second lowest in suicide rates, according to the study.
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People in South Dakota have the highest adequate sleep rate, the study finds, while people in Hawaii have the lowest, and people in Utah have the fewest work hours while residents of Alaska have the most.
Vermont and Maine are considered the two safest states, the study reports, while Louisiana and Mississippi are considered the most dangerous.
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WalletHub also found that overall, money and happiness do not go hand-in-hand, stating that “happiness only increases with wealth up to an annual income of $75,000.”
For the full findings of the study and the complete ranking of happiness by state, visit WalletHub.com.
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