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How do you measure happiness? According to one adage, money cannot buy it. Perhaps it is tied to health or a good family life. A good job should be mixed in. So should the environment where people live. (These are the best jobs in America.)
The prescription drug consultant site NiceRx tried to measure the happiest and unhappiest states with its own methodology, and according to the results, the unhappiest state is Mississippi.
To make its determinations, NiceRx used metrics including rates of poverty and mental illness, life expectancy, median household income, a safety score, and homicide levels. The site drew data on life expectancy and homicide rate from the CDC. Data on the mean household income and safety ratings are from World Population Review, and data on each state’s rates of mental illness and poverty came from Data USA.
According to NiceRx, “These factors cover a range of different topics, from health and social affairs to economic matters. This provided us with a good overview of the different stresses and strains that people living in these states might experience.”
What did the research leave out? Certainly environmental factors like air and water pollution. Another measure omitted was good schools and colleges. Yet another was the presence of parks and retail amenities. However, the site’s yardsticks are as good as most others.
Click here to see the unhappiest state in America
Once all factors were taken into account, each state was given a composite happiness score, ranging from 10 to zero, with the happiest state receiving the highest score. That state was Hawaii, with a score of 9.02. Its mean household income was high, at $103,780, and its poverty rate was a low 9.44%. Connecticut ranked second with a score of 8.82. Six of the top 10 states were in the Northeast. (These are the best and worst states to live in.)
The lowest-rated – unhappiest – state was Mississippi, at 2.06. It was followed by Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama in ascending order, as Southern states dominated the bottom of the list.
1. Hawaii
> Happiness score: 9.02 / 10
> Median household income: $83,102 — 4th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 81.0 years — the highest
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2. Connecticut
> Happiness score: 8.82 / 10
> Median household income: $78,833 — 6th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.4 years — 5th highest
3. New Jersey
> Happiness score: 8.25 / 10
> Median household income: $85,751 — 3rd highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.8 years — 9th highest
4. Massachusetts
> Happiness score: 8.14 / 10
> Median household income: $85,843 — 2nd highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.1 years — 6th highest
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5. Minnesota
> Happiness score: 8.06 / 10
> Median household income: $74,593 — 13th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.5 years — 3rd highest
6. California
> Happiness score: 7.59 / 10
> Median household income: $80,440 — 5th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.8 years — 2nd highest
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7. Maryland
> Happiness score: 7.55 / 10
> Median household income: $86,738 — the highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.5 years — 24th lowest
8. New Hampshire
> Happiness score: 7.44 / 10
> Median household income: $77,933 — 8th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.1 years — 17th highest
9. New York
> Happiness score: 7.25 / 10
> Median household income: $72,108 — 14th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.5 years — 3rd highest
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10. Washington
> Happiness score: 7.19 / 10
> Median household income: $78,687 — 7th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.0 years — 7th highest
11. Iowa
> Happiness score: 7.15 / 10
> Median household income: $61,691 — 21st lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.2 years — 16th highest
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12. Utah
> Happiness score: 7.06 / 10
> Median household income: $75,780 — 11th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.6 years — 12th highest
13. Rhode Island
> Happiness score: 7.00 / 10
> Median household income: $71,169 — 15th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.8 years — 9th highest
14. Virginia
> Happiness score: 6.96 / 10
> Median household income: $76,456 — 10th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.0 years — 19th highest
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15. North Dakota
> Happiness score: 6.90 / 10
> Median household income: $64,577 — 20th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.3 years — 13th highest
16. Vermont
> Happiness score: 6.83 / 10
> Median household income: $63,001 — 25th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.3 years — 13th highest
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17. Maine
> Happiness score: 6.80 / 10
> Median household income: $58,924 — 16th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.6 years — 25th lowest
18. Colorado
> Happiness score: 6.66 / 10
> Median household income: $77,127 — 9th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.0 years — 7th highest
19. Wisconsin
> Happiness score: 6.60 / 10
> Median household income: $64,168 — 21st highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.3 years — 13th highest
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19. Nebraska
> Happiness score: 6.60 / 10
> Median household income: $63,229 — 25th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.1 years — 17th highest
21. Illinois
> Happiness score: 6.31 / 10
> Median household income: $69,187 — 17th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.8 years — 23rd highest
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22. Wyoming
> Happiness score: 6.27 / 10
> Median household income: $65,003 — 19th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.1 years — 22nd lowest
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23. Delaware
> Happiness score: 6.17 / 10
> Median household income: $70,176 — 16th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.8 years — 17th lowest
24. Oregon
> Happiness score: 6.08 / 10
> Median household income: $67,058 — 18th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years — 11th highest
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25. Texas
> Happiness score: 5.92 / 10
> Median household income: $64,034 — 22nd highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.4 years — 23rd lowest
26. Nevada
> Happiness score: 5.92 / 10
> Median household income: $63,276 — 24th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.9 years — 18th lowest
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27. Arizona
> Happiness score: 5.84 / 10
> Median household income: $62,055 — 23rd lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.7 years — 24th highest
28. Pennsylvania
> Happiness score: 5.82 / 10
> Median household income: $63,463 — 23rd highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.1 years — 22nd lowest
29. South Dakota
> Happiness score: 5.82 / 10
> Median household income: $59,533 — 18th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.9 years — 21st highest
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30. Idaho
> Happiness score: 5.81 / 10
> Median household income: $60,999 — 20th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.0 years — 19th highest
31. Alaska
> Happiness score: 5.69 / 10
> Median household income: $75,463 — 12th highest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.0 years — 20th lowest
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32. Kansas
> Happiness score: 5.59 / 10
> Median household income: $62,087 — 24th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.0 years — 20th lowest
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33. Florida
> Happiness score: 5.52 / 10
> Median household income: $59,227 — 17th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.9 years — 21st highest
34. Michigan
> Happiness score: 5.28 / 10
> Median household income: $59,584 — 19th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.7 years — 16th lowest
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35. North Carolina
> Happiness score: 5.07 / 10
> Median household income: $57,341 — 12th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.6 years — 15th lowest
36. Indiana
> Happiness score: 4.98 / 10
> Median household income: $57,603 — 14th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.8 years — 12th lowest
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37. Georgia
> Happiness score: 4.94 / 10
> Median household income: $61,980 — 22nd lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.2 years — 14th lowest
38. Montana
> Happiness score: 4.84 / 10
> Median household income: $57,153 — 11th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 78.7 years — 24th highest
39. Ohio
> Happiness score: 4.43 / 10
> Median household income: $58,642 — 15th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.8 years — 12th lowest
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40. Missouri
> Happiness score: 4.38 / 10
> Median household income: $57,409 — 13th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.6 years — 10th lowest
41. South Carolina
> Happiness score: 4.35 / 10
> Median household income: $56,227 — 10th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 76.5 years — 9th lowest
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42. New Mexico
> Happiness score: 3.86 / 10
> Median household income: $51,945 — 6th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 77.2 years — 14th lowest
43. Kentucky
> Happiness score: 3.77 / 10
> Median household income: $52,295 — 7th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.3 years — 4th lowest
44. Tennessee
> Happiness score: 3.66 / 10
> Median household income: $56,071 — 9th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.5 years — 5th lowest
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45. Oklahoma
> Happiness score: 3.65 / 10
> Median household income: $54,449 — 8th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.6 years — 8th lowest
46. West Virginia
> Happiness score: 3.19 / 10
> Median household income: $48,850 — 2nd lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 74.4 years — the lowest
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47. Alabama
> Happiness score: 3.17 / 10
> Median household income: $51,734 — 5th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.1 years — 3rd lowest
48. Arkansas
> Happiness score: 2.61 / 10
> Median household income: $48,952 — 3rd lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.6 years — 8th lowest
49. Louisiana
> Happiness score: 2.38 / 10
> Median household income: $51,073 — 4th lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.6 years — 8th lowest
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50. Mississippi
> Happiness score: 2.06 / 10
> Median household income: $45,792 — the lowest
> Life expectancy at birth: 74.6 years — 2nd lowest
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