WalletHub, the personal finance website, has been hard at work throughout the year bringing studies showing the various triumphs and hardships of the United States. Now, the happiest states in America have been determined and Utah was found at the top of the chart.
“Happiness comes from a combination of internal and external factors,” WalletHub shared. “We can influence it somewhat by approaching situations positively or choosing to spend time with people we love, doing activities we enjoy.”
With that in mind, it was said that happiness is harder to come by in some years, such as 2023. High inflation continues to plague the states, with more than 75% of Americans experiencing price increases where they live, causing stress.
In order to determine where Americans are the happiest, and least happy, metrics examined ranged from depressions rates to productiveness, income growth and the unemployment rate.
Utah came in at number one with an overall score of 69.79, followed by Hawaii in second place and Maryland in third. On the flipside, the least happy state was West Virginia with a score of 35.08, followed by Louisiana and Tennessee. Utah was found 16th for adequate sleep and fourth in the percent of civilian labor force unemployed 15 weeks or longer.
The Beehive State ranked first for number of work hours, volunteer rate, and separation and divorce rate. Utah was 10th for income growth, fourth in safety and 15th in the share of adults that feel active and productive. Finally, Utah tied for third place in sports participation with Washington.