These Are 2019's Happiest States In America

Running into the Ocean

Even though it feels like just yesterday we were counting down to the start of 2019 on New Year's Eve, the year is actually almost over. Thanks to WalletHub.com, we know which states were the happiest in 2019. WalletHub looked to "happiness" research to figure out which state was the happiest in America, finding environmental factors, such as average amount of work hours, unemployment rates, divorce rates and more, help determine happiness and satisfaction in life.

To determine where Americans exhibit the best combination of these factors, WalletHub examined all 50 states across 31 key metrics, ranging from depression rate to sports participation rate to income growth. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness. WalletHub then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order their sample.

People in Cape May New Jersey USA

Here's the full list, starting with the happiest state:

  1. Hawaii
  2. Utah
  3. Minnesota
  4. California
  5. New Jersey
  6. Idaho
  7. Massachusetts
  8. Maryland
  9. Nebraska
  10. Connecticut
  11. Iowa
  12. North Dakota
  13. Nevada
  14. Virginia
  15. New York
  16. Delaware
  17. Georgia
  18. Arizona
  19. Colorado
  20. Vermont
  21. Washington
  22. New Hampshire
  23. Texas
  24. Illinois
  25. Wisconsin
  26. Pennsylvania
  27. South Dakota
  28. Florida
  29. South Carolina
  30. North Carolina
  31. Montana
  32. Kansas
  33. Rhode Island
  34. Wyoming
  35. Indiana
  36. Michigan
  37. Ohio
  38. Maine
  39. Oregon
  40. New Mexico
  41. Missouri
  42. Tennessee
  43. Oklahoma
  44. Alabama
  45. Kentucky
  46. Louisiana
  47. Mississippi
  48. Alaska
  49. Arkansas
  50. West Virginia

Here are some other interesting findings from WalletHub's study:

  • Hawaii has the lowest share of adult depression.
  • South Dakota has the highest adequate-sleep rate.
  • Washington has the highest sports participation rate.
  • Utah has the fewest average work hours per week, the lowest divorce rate and the highest volunteer rate.
  • North Dakota has the lowest long-term unemployment rates and the highest income growth.
  • Minnesota is considered to be the safest state.

Where does your home state fall on this list?

Photo: Getty


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