What makes one happy can be different from others, but overall, happiness is the key in life.
WalletHub ranked all 50 states from happiest to least happy, and sadly, Tennesseans seem to be struggling. The factors used to determine happiness were broken down in three categories:
- Emotional & Physical Well-Being
- Work Environment
- Community & Environment
These categories included various sub-categories that were weighted like physical health, career satisfaction, depression, life expectancy, income, weather, volunteer rate, and sports participation.
Out of the 50 states, Tennessee ranked #47 with West Virginia, Arkansas, and Louisiana being the only other states that are less happy than us.
Out of the three categories, the Volunteer State ranked the worst in emotional & physical well-being. In fact, when it comes to depression, the report found that Tennesseans have the HIGHEST rate of adult depression — more than any other state.
When it came to work environment we fell right in the middle.
No surprise, though, Hawaii was found to be the happiest state overall. They had the lowest rate of depression and the highest levels of life satisfaction. Good physical health, long life expectancies, positive economic conditions, and low unemployment rates all played a factor in their overall happiness.
Top 5 Happiest States:
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Utah
- Delaware
Top 5 Unhappiest States:
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- West Virginia
- Tennessee
- New Mexico
