With the U.S. ranking No. 19 on this year’s World Happiness Report, down one spot since the previous edition, and research showing that money up to a certain dollar amount can contribute to happiness, the personal-finance website today released its report on 2019’s Happiest States in America as well as accompanying videos.
To determine where Americans have the highest satisfaction with life, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 31 key indicators of happiness. The data set ranges from emotional health to income level to sports participation rate.
| Happiest States in America | ||||
| 1 | Hawaii | 11 | Iowa | |
| 2 | Utah | 12 | North Dakota | |
| 3 | Minnesota | 13 | Nevada | |
| 4 | California | 14 | Virginia | |
| 5 | New Jersey | 15 | New York | |
| 6 | Idaho | 16 | Delaware | |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 17 | Georgia | |
| 8 | Maryland | 18 | Arizona | |
| 9 | Nebraska | 19 | Colorado | |
| 10 | Connecticut | 20 | Vermont | |
Best vs. Worst
- Hawaii has the lowest share of adult depression, 11.88 percent, which is 2.3 times lower than in Maine, which has the highest at 26.89 percent.
- New York has the fewest suicides (per 100,000 residents), 8, which is 3.6 times fewer than in Montana, which has the most at 29.
- North Dakota has the lowest long-term unemployment rate, 13.10 percent, which is 3.4 times lower than in New Mexico, which has the highest at 44.90 percent.
- Utah has the highest volunteer rate, 51.00 percent, which is 2.2 times higher than in Florida, where the rate is the lowest at 22.80 percent.
- Utah has the lowest separation and divorce rate, 15.88 percent, which is 1.6 times lower than in Nevada, which has the highest at 26.19 percent.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/