California makes top 10 list of ‘happiest states’ in US. But who ranks No. 1?

Hanh Truong
·2 min read
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Californians, are you happy? Apparently, you should be at least happier than Floridians, according to a new study from WalletHub.

The online personal finance service compared every state in the country, ranking them as “2023’s Happiest States in America.”

“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,” the service stated in its findings.

It tied several elements to happiness based on the following research: Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity, Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences, Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data, and Unhappy Cities.

Using a weighted ranking, it assessed a state’s emotional and physical well-being, such as share of adult depression, health index, career health, suicide rate, adequate sleep rate and food insecurity rate. It looked at the state’s work environment, including the number of hours worked, household income and financial anxiety. It also rated community and environment, such as ideal weather, leisure time and divorce rates.

Where does California stand?

California made it on the top 10 list of happiest states in the country at No. 7.

For emotional and physical well-being, it was rated No. 5 and under work environment, it ranked No. 34. The Golden State made it at No. 10 for community and environment.

Utah topped the list at No. 1 for the happiest state. It’s at No. 16 for well-being and No. 1 for both work environment and community and environment. West Virginia concludes the ranking at No. 50, scoring the lowest for well-being and work environment.

Here’s the top 10 list of happiest states in the U.S., according to WalletHub:

  1. Utah

  2. Hawaii

  3. Maryland

  4. Minnesota

  5. New Jersey

  6. Connecticut

  7. California

  8. Florida

  9. Idaho

  10. Nebraska

More findings

California did relatively well on other rankings, too.

According to the study, the state also has the lowest share of adult depression, according to the study, ranking at No. 3. California is also No. 1 for highest income growth.

It’s volunteer rate, however, is one of the lowest, landing at No. 48.

For safety, California didn’t make a notable appearance on the list. Vermont was ranked the safest state and Louisiana, the least safe.

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