Happiest States in the US

Scholaroo has identified the Happiest States in the U.S. by comparing all 50 states across 54 relevant metrics distributed in 7 key categories (Personal Finance, Leisure Activities, Mental Health, Physical Health, Employment, Personal Relationships, and Social Policies).

Aristotle said “Happiness depends upon ourselves,” but many other factors impact our happiness in modern times.

The influences of our daily lives, such as working conditions, safety, the frequency with which we pursue hobbies, as well as our overall mental and physical health, directly influence our happiness… and these factors differ from state to state!

The map below identifies which state is the happiest, and which has scored lowest in each category. Do you live in the Happiest State?

Main findings

Category Breakdown

Happiest States in the US

FAQs

What are the happiest states in the US?


The happiest states in the US are Massachusetts, Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Minnesota, California, Hawaii, and Vermont. Massachusetts is the happiest state as it has the highest income per capita, long-lasting marriages with lower divorce rates, and abundant social policies that guarantee people's rights.

What is the happiest city in the US?


The happiest city in the USA is Fremont, California. The city has great indices related to quality of life.

What is the unhappiest state in the US?

The unhappiest state in the US is West Virginia. The state's population experiences the highest rates of poor mental health, exhibits minimal physical activity, and engages in limited recreational activities compared to other states.

Methodology

In order to determine what are the Happiest States in the USA, Scholaroo compared the 50 states across seven key dimensions:
1. Employment
2. Leisure Activities
3. Mental Health
4. Personal Finance
5. Personal Relationships
6. Physical Health
7. Social Policies

We evaluated those dimensions using 54 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 being the max.

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.

Employment: (12 Points)

Quit Rate: Regular Weight (1.71 Points) Rate of people who quit their jobs

Layoffs and discharges Rate: Half Weight (0.86 Points) Rate of people who have been laid off or discharged from their jobs

Working hours: Regular Weight (1.71 Points) The average number of hours worked per week

Commute times: Regular Weight (1.71 Points) the percentage of the population who commute for longer than 30 minutes to work each day

Unemployment Rate: Regular Weight (1.71 Points) The percentage of the labor force classified as unemployed

State Productivity Rate: Regular Weight (1.71 Points) The efficiency at which labor hours are used to produce the output of goods and services

Working Conditions: Regular Weight (1.71 Points) Number of fatal occupational injuries in per capita over 3 years

Legislated Paid Leave: Half Weight (0.86 Points) Whether or not a state legislates paid leave for full-time employees

Leisure Activities: (10 Points)

Movie Theater Visits: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people visiting movie theaters per capita

Hotels and Motels: Regular Weight (1.11 Points) The frequency of people visiting hotels and motels per capita

Air Transportation: Regular Weight (1.11 Points) The frequency of people visiting airports per capita

Book Store Visits: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people visiting bookstores per capita

Hobby Store Visits: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people visiting Hobby and Game stores per capita

Musical Instrument Store Visits: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people visiting Musical Instrument stores per capita

Sporting Goods Store Visit: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people visiting sporting goods stores per capita

Sporting Fixture Attendance: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people attending sporting fixtures stores per capita

Exercise Enthusiasts: Regular Weight (1.11 Points) Percentage of adults who met the federal physical activity guidelines in the past 30 days

Entertainment Venue Visits: Regular Weight (1.11 Points) The frequency of people visiting entertainment establishments per capita

Restaurant Visits: Regular Weight (1.11 Points) The frequency of people visiting restaurants per capita

Beauty Salon Visits: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people visiting beauty salons per capita

Cosmetic and Perfume Store Visits: Half Weight (0.56 Points) The frequency of people visiting cosmetic and perfume stores per capita

Mental Health: (20 Points)

Depression Rate: Regular Weight (2.86 Points) The percentage of adults who reported being diagnosed with a depressive disorder

Mental Distress: Regular Weight (2.86 Points) The percentage of adults who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days

Anxiety: Regular Weight (2.86 Points) Comparison of trends around anxiety treatment

Suicide Rate: Regular Weight (2.86 Points) The suicide mortality rate per capita

Stress: Double Weight (5.71) Comparison of trends around stress

Untreated Mental Illness: Regular Weight (2.86 Points) The percentage of adults with mental illness who were not able to receive the treatment

Personal Finance: (12 Points)

Homeownership: Regular Weight (2 Points) The rate of people who own a residential property

Average Income: Regular Weight (2 Points) The average yearly income of people per capita

Bankruptcy filings: Half Weight (1 Point) The rate of people who filed for Bankruptcy per capita

Debt: Regular Weight (2 Points) The amount of consumer debt per capita

Savings: Regular Weight (2 Points) The average amount of money put towards savings goals or investment accounts

Median Credit Score: Regular Weight (2 Points) The median FICO credit score of individuals per capita

Unaffordable Medical Care: Half Weight (1 Point) Percentage of adults who reported a time in the past 12 months when they needed to see a doctor but could not because of cost

Personal Relationships: (18 Points)

Divorce Rate: Half Weight (1.5 Points) The number of people who filed for divorce per capita

Widowed: Half Weight (1.5 Points) Percentage of people widowed

Pet Owners: Regular Weight (3 Points) The percentage of households who have a pet

Death Rate: Regular Weight (3 Points) The number of people who have died per capita

Marriage Rate: Half Weight (1.5 Points) The number of marriages entered into per capita

Marriage Duration: Regular Weight (3 Points) The average length of time people remain married

Dating Apps Searches: Regular Weight (3 Points) Number of people using dating apps per capita

Friendship App Searches: Half Weight (1.5 Points) Number of people using friendship apps per capita

Physical Health: (20 Points)

Inactive Population: Regular Weight (3.64 Points) Percentage of adults who do no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job

Excessive Drinking: Half Weight (1.82 Points) Percentage of adults who reported binge drinking in a month or heavy drinking over a few weeks

Insufficient Sleep: Regular Weight (3.64 Points) Percentage of adults who reported sleeping fewer than seven hours on average

Drug Usage: Half Weight (1.82 Points) Percentage of adults using prescription drugs non-medically or illicit drugs

Chronic Illness Sufferers: Half Weight (1.82 Points) The percentage of adults who have three or more chronic health conditions

Hospital Visits: Regular Weight (3.64 Points) The frequency of people visiting hospitals per capita

Obesity: Regular Weight (3.64 Points) Percentage of adults who are obese

Social Policies: (8 Points)

LGBT Rights: Half Weight (1 Point) The number of laws that protect the LGBTQIA+ community from discrimination

LGBTQI+ Youth Protection: Half Weight (1 Point) Number of laws that protect LGBTQI+ Youth

State Statue on Hiring Based on Salary History: Regular Weight (2 Points) The states which have legislated and implemented the hiring statute without disclosing salary history state-wide.

Workplace Pregnancy Protection: Regular Weight (2 Points) Federal and state-level employment protections against pregnancy discrimination, and workplace breastfeeding rights.

Cannabis Legal Status: Regular Weight (2 Points) The level of legal freedom residents have to use cannabis