Happiest States in America (2025)

Happiness comes from a combination of internal and external factors. We can influence it somewhat by approaching situations positively or choosing to spend time with people we love, doing activities we enjoy. However, other things out of our control, like the cost-of-living crisis or the stress of being in an election year – and they have taken a toll, with only 47% of Americans saying they are “very satisfied” with their lives.

Even though people across the U.S. are facing difficult times, the state in which you live may have an impact on how happy you are. To determine where Americans exhibit the best combination of good economic, emotional, physical and social health, we examined the 50 states across 30 key metrics, ranging from the depression rate and the share of adults feeling productive to income growth and the unemployment rate.

“In addition to pursuing your passions, having a good work-life balance and maintaining an emotional support network, another key way to boost your happiness is living in the right place. The happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a wide variety of areas, from strong state economies and high quality physical and mental health care to adequate amounts of leisure time and good weather.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Happiest States in the U.S.

Notes: *No. 1 = Happiest
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Share of Adult Depression

Lowest

• 1. Hawaii
• 2. New Jersey
• 3. Nebraska
• 4. Illinois
• 5. New York

Highest

• 46. Oklahoma
• 47. Arkansas
• 48. West Virginia
• 49. Maine
• 50. Tennessee

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Hawaii vs. Tennessee

Adequate-Sleep Rate

Highest

• 1. Vermont
• 2. Minnesota
• 3. Colorado
• 4. Nebraska
• 5. Oregon

Lowest

• T-45. Arkansas
• T-45. Ohio
• 47. Louisiana
• 48. Alabama
• 49. West Virginia
• 50. Hawaii

Sports Participation Rate

Highest

• 1. Colorado
• 2. Utah
• 3. Washington
• 4. Oregon
• T-5. Montana
• T-5. Vermont

Lowest

• T-46. Alabama
• T-46. West Virginia
• 48. Oklahoma
• 49. Arkansas
• 50. Mississippi

Suicide Rate

Lowest

• 1. New Jersey
• 2. Massachusetts
• 3. New York
• 4. Maryland
• 5. California

Highest

• 46. North Dakota
• 47. New Mexico
• 48. Wyoming
• 49. Alaska
• 50. Montana

Best State vs. Worst State: 4x Difference

New Jersey vs. Montana

Work Hours

Fewest

• 1. Utah
• 2. Vermont
• 3. Rhode Island
• 4. Oregon
• T-5. Connecticut
• T-5. Massachusetts

Most

• T-45. Louisiana
• T-45. South Dakota
• T-48. Texas
• T-48. Wyoming
• 50. Alaska

Long-Term Unemployment Rate

Lowest

• 1. South Dakota
• 2. Nebraska
• T-3. Alabama
• T-3. North Dakota
• T-3. Utah

Highest

• 46. Rhode Island
• 47. Illinois
• T-48. California
• T-48. New York
• 50. New Jersey

Best State vs. Worst State: 7x Difference

South Dakota vs. New Jersey

Income Growth

Highest

• 1. Idaho
• 2. Arizona
• 3. California
• 4. Oregon
• 5. Washington

Lowest

• 46. Oklahoma
• 47. Connecticut
• 48. North Dakota
• 49. Wyoming
• 50. Alaska

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

Idaho vs. Alaska

Volunteer Rate

Highest

• 1. Utah
• 2. Wyoming
• 3. Minnesota
• 4. Maine
• 5. South Dakota

Lowest

• T-45. Hawaii
• T-45. New Mexico
• 47. Alabama
• 48. California
• 49. Nevada
• 50. Florida

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

Utah vs. Florida

Divorce Rate

Lowest

• 1. Utah
• 2. North Dakota
• 3. New Jersey
• 4. Hawaii
• 5. Minnesota

Highest

• 46. Florida
• 47. Mississippi
• 48. Louisiana
• 49. Nevada
• 50. New Mexico

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Utah vs. New Mexico

Safety

Safest

• 1. Vermont
• 2. Maine
• 3. New Hampshire
• 4. Utah
• 5. Massachusetts

Least Safe

• 46. Florida
• 47. Texas
• 48. Arkansas
• 49. Mississippi
• 50. Louisiana

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In-Depth Look at the Happiest States

Hawaii

Hawaii is the happiest state, living up to its reputation as an island paradise, with residents reporting the highest levels of life satisfaction in the nation and the lowest depression rate.

Hawaiians also enjoy great physical health, with 86% of adults reporting that they are in good or better health, the second-best percentage in the nation. Hawaiians also have the longest life expectancy in the U.S., and nearly 72% of adults in the state report being active and productive on a daily basis.

To top things off, positive economic conditions help Hawaiians stay happy. Hawaii has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, at 2.8%, as well as the second-highest share of households with an annual income above $75,000. And while that means residents are working hard, they still get to enjoy the third-most leisure time in the country.

Maryland

Maryland is the second-happiest state, in part because it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, at 2.9%, along with the highest percentage of households earning over $75,000 per year. Maryland residents also post on social media about work-related stress less often than people in all but four other states, which shows that they have decent work conditions on top of job stability.

When surveyed about life satisfaction, Maryland residents report liking what they do and being motivated to achieve their goals at the third-highest rate in the U.S. The state also has the second-lowest share of people who report having traumatic events during their childhood, and the third-highest share of people who report having supportive relationships and love in their lives.

The Old Line State also has the fourth-lowest suicide rate in the country, which shows that people are generally having their mental health concerns addressed before they become overwhelming.

New Jersey

New Jersey is the third-happiest state, with the lowest share of people reporting traumatic events during their childhood and the second-highest life satisfaction rate. The state also has the second-lowest depression rate and the second-highest share of people who have supportive relationships and love in their lives. All these factors come together to create the conditions for good mental health.

Residents of New Jersey also demonstrate their happiness in their marriages. The Garden State has the third-lowest separation and divorce rate in the country, at around 17%.

Finally, when it comes to finances, New Jersey has the third-highest share of households earning over $75,000 per year. It also has the sixth-lowest food insecurity rate, which shows that the state is making progress when it comes to addressing poverty. Plus, New Jersey has the ninth-lowest share of people who get anxious when thinking about their personal finances.

Ask the Experts

Happiness is more than a feeling of joy or excitement. It relies on various aspects of a person’s life — from emotional well-being to job satisfaction. To expand the discussion, we asked a panel of experts to share their advice and insight on achieving overall happiness and career contentment. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:

1. What are the key ingredients to a happy life?
2. How important is money to people’s happiness?
3. What are the secrets to career contentment?
4. How much does where you live influence your happiness?
5. What are some steps a person can take to improve and maintain their mental health?

Ask the Experts

Peter D. Harms
Frank Schultz Endowed Professor of Business, Culverhouse College of Business – University of Alabama
Read More

Theresa E. DiDonato
Ph.D. – Associate Dean of Social Sciences and Graduate Programs, Professor of Psychology – Loyola University Maryland
Read More

Buffie Longmire-Avital
Ph.D. – Professor of Psychology and Director, Black Lumen Project: An Equity Initiative; Faculty Administrative Fellow for Mentoring – Elon University
Read More

Dr. Jo Jorgensen
Principal Lecturer, Department of Psychology, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences – Clemson University
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the happiest states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Work Environment and 3) Community & Environment.

We evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness.

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.

Our analysis draws upon the findings of the following research, each of which has indicated a correlation between our data and happiness:

• Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity (Chan and Diener, 2010)
• Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences (Bhattacharjee and Mogilner, 2014)
• Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data (Huang and Humphreys, 2010)
• Unhappy Cities (Glaeser, et al., 2014)

Emotional & Physical Well-Being - Total Points: 50

• Career Well-Being: Double Weight (~4.35 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index,” particularly the “Purpose” element, defined as “Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals.”
• Physical Health Index: Full Weight (~2.17 Points)
  Note: This metric measures self-reported effects of disease on personal happiness.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences: Full Weight (~2.17 Points)
• Share of Adult Depression: Quadruple Weight (~8.70 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of adults aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with depression.
• Social Well-Being: Full Weight (~2.17 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index”, particularly the “Social” element, defined as “having supportive relationships and love in your life.”
• Share of Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder: Double Weight (~4.35 Points)
• Adequate-Sleep Rate: Full Weight (~2.17 Points)
• Sports-Participation Rate: Full Weight (~2.17 Points)
• Share of Adults Feeling Active & Productive: Full Weight (~2.17 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on Gallup’s “State of the States” poll and measures the share of state residents who reported feeling active and productive every day for seven days prior to polling.
• Share of Adults with Mental Health Not Good: Triple Weight (~6.52 Points)
  Note: Percentage of Adults With 14 or More Mental Unhealthy Days Reported in the Past Month.
• Life Expectancy: Double Weight (~4.35 Points)
• Suicide Rate: Triple Weight (~6.52 Points)
• Food-Insecurity Rate: Full Weight (~2.17 Points)

Work Environment - Total Points: 25

• Number of Work Hours: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
• Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Share of Adults with Financial Anxiety: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults who agree that thinking about their personal finances makes them feel anxious.
• Current Unemployment Rate: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
• Share of Civilian Labor Force Unemployed 15 Weeks or Longer: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Job Security: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the probability of unemployment.
• Share of Work-Related Stressed Tweets: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on PlushCare’s analysis of retrieved geotagged tweets from 340 major cities in the U.S.
• Income-Growth Rate: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
• Economic Security: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index”, particularly the “Economic Security” element, defined as “community members who are employed, insured, and otherwise stable financially.”
• Median Credit Score: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)

Community & Environment - Total Points: 25

• Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Ideal Weather: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking and was calculated as the average of the ranking for the top three cities by population in the state.
• Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
• Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Safety: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Safest States in America” ranking.

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of May 16, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feeding America, Gallup, TransUnion, Minnesota Population Center - University of Minnesota, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, County Health Rankings, the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health, FINRA Investor Education Foundation, PlushCare, AmeriCorps and WalletHub research.

Supporting Video Files:

• YouTube - National (for web embedding)
• YouTube - Hawaii (for web embedding)
• Raw video files (for editing into clips)