Moving to a new state can bring on a lot of important decisions, like where to live and work. For those with children, safety and the quality of local schools is also important. Others may value being closer to a city, or being in a more rural environment.
Several factors can play into the decision, but one that doesn’t always get a lot of attention is the happiness factor. Whether or not a person will enjoy their life in a new state isn’t something we talk about often, but it can be an important portion of the entire moving process.
A new study has revealed the ten “least happy” states in America, and they may give prospective movers a new perspective on which states they should consider settling down in.
How Were the Results Determined?
WalletHub recently ranked all 50 US states by how happy their residents were. Happiness scores were determined by a number of factors, including but not limited to: emotional and physical well-being, work environment and community.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo noted that “the happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a number of areas.”
The highest-ranking states in the happiness survey generally had lower unemployment and divorce rates, and they were also higher in economic security and life satisfaction.
Colorado rounded out the bottom 10 on the list, coming in as the 10th least happy state. It had the second-lowest score among all 50 states in terms of community and environment, but ranked highly in sports participation and adequate sleep.
Mississippi and Kentucky were next on the list, both on the lower end of the spectrum when it came to areas like emotional and physical well being. The same could be said for the next state on the list, New Mexico, which had the fifth-lowest rating of any state in those categories.
Tennessee was next on the top ten, followed by Alaska. The northernmost state reported the highest average weekly work hours and the lowest income growth rate of any state on the list.
Alabama came in at No. 4 with the third-lowest volunteer rate and third-lowest adequate sleep rate, while Arkansas took home the proverbial bronze medal in the study at No. 3.
Which Two States Ended the List?
Louisiana and West Virginia were determined to be the least happy states in America, according to the WalletHub study.
Louisiana had the country’s third-highest divorce rate, third-highest average work hours, fourth-lowest rate of adequate sleep and its fifth-lowest sports participation rate. West Virginia had the country’s highest rate of adult depression, its second-lowest rate of adequate sleep, and the fourth-lowest sports participation rate.
As individuals move around the country, they’ll determine which state they’re more likely to move to based on some of the criteria in this survey. We’ll see if it has an effect on how many people take up permanent residences in states like West Virginia and Louisiana.
