Hawaii Voted 2019's Happiest State in America by WalletHub

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.

One thing that doesn’t drive happiness is money. Happiness only increases with wealth up to an annual income of $75,000 to $95,000. But one thing that can have a big influence on how we feel about life is where we choose to live.

In this study, WalletHub drew upon the findings of “happiness” research to determine which environmental factors are linked to a person’s overall well-being and satisfaction with life. Previous studies have found that good economic, emotional, physical and social health are all key to a well-balanced and fulfilled life.

To determine where Americans exhibit the best combination of these factors, we examined the 50 states across 31 key metrics, ranging from depression rate to sports participation rate to income growth. Read on for our findings, additional insight from a panel of experts and a full description of our methodology.

Main Findings

Source: WalletHub

Happiest States in the U.S.

Overall Rank (1 = Happiest)	State	Total Score	‘Emotional & Physical Well-Being’ Rank	‘Work Environment’ Rank	‘Community & Environment’ Rank
1	Hawaii	66.48	1	25	12
2	Utah	65.93	15	1	2
3	Minnesota	65.57	3	6	15
4	California	64.11	4	12	16
5	New Jersey	60.54	2	45	24
6	Idaho	60.51	33	2	1
7	Massachusetts	60.50	8	3	43
8	Maryland	59.53	5	40	14
9	Nebraska	59.04	9	14	18
10	Connecticut	57.93	6	34	33
11	Iowa	57.88	16	10	10
12	North Dakota	57.53	11	28	11
13	Nevada	56.86	25	9	3
14	Virginia	55.59	13	24	28
15	New York	55.47	7	39	40
16	Delaware	54.64	19	26	13
17	Georgia	54.61	18	32	17
18	Arizona	53.95	24	7	31
19	Colorado	53.59	10	4	49
20	Vermont	52.74	28	22	6
21	Washington	52.41	30	5	30
22	New Hampshire	52.21	27	11	29
23	Texas	52.14	12	19	48
24	Illinois	51.64	14	42	41
25	Wisconsin	51.53	22	20	37
26	Pennsylvania	51.42	23	37	21
27	South Dakota	51.04	21	16	45
28	Florida	50.75	17	27	47
29	South Carolina	50.27	32	21	9
30	North Carolina	49.83	20	31	46
31	Montana	49.27	40	8	7
32	Kansas	48.92	29	30	38
33	Rhode Island	48.71	26	18	44
34	Wyoming	47.54	31	46	19
35	Indiana	47.27	38	17	23
36	Michigan	46.93	35	29	32
37	Ohio	45.19	37	41	22
38	Maine	45.11	36	23	39
39	Oregon	44.95	44	13	26
40	New Mexico	44.91	39	43	20
41	Missouri	42.99	41	33	35
42	Tennessee	42.75	42	15	42
43	Oklahoma	40.56	47	35	4
44	Alabama	40.11	46	36	36
45	Kentucky	38.86	48	38	8
46	Louisiana	38.41	43	50	34
47	Mississippi	38.28	45	48	27
48	Alaska	36.48	34	49	50
49	Arkansas	34.07	49	44	25
50	West Virginia	33.73	50	47	5

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: