This Is the Unhappiest State in America

There are plenty of factors that play into overall happiness, and these factors are particularly complex now. COVID-19 has impacted travel, businesses, and incidentally, happiness. WalletHub conducted a study to evaluate happiness in each state, comparing them among three primary dimensions: emotional and physical well-being, community and environment, and work environment. The dimensions were further broken down into 31 different metrics and graded on a 100-point scale. Cheapism compiled the results, ranked from the least happy to the happiest, and included explanations of why each state is so unhappy or happy. 

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Surrounded by the trees of the Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia has plenty of picturesque spaces. Merely considering the serenity of the landscape might make you think it’s a pretty nice place to live. If only nature was the biggest (or only) contributor to happiness. This state is considered the unhappiest in the nation, mostly due to the emotional and physical well-being of residents and the work environment. Read on to see where other states fall on the happiness scale.

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Riddled with caves, rivers, hot springs, mountains, and an abundance of park and wilderness areas, there are plenty of opportunities for outdoor excursions in Arkansas. But what makes it such an unhappy state? Dead-last for emotional and physical well-being, residents of Arkansas have high rates of adult depression and the state is also considered one of the least-safe places to live.

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When you think of Louisiana, you might picture Creole and Cajun cultures, bayous, jazz music, the historic French Quarter, and, of course, the lively Mardi Gras festival. Unfortunately, Louisiana is not as happy as it seems from the outside looking in. The state ranks last for work environment, has some of the lowest sports participation rates, and reports extremely low income growth. Additionally, divorce rates in Louisiana are some of the highest in the nation, and the state is one of the least-safe places to live.

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Mississippi ranks as yet another unhappy Southern state. The biggest contributors to the state’s unhappiness include the emotional and physical well-being of residents and the work environment. With low volunteer rates and some of the highest divorce rates in the country, Mississippi appears to struggle with maintaining positive personal interactions. To boot, the state is considered the least-safe in the country.

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While it’s an affordable place to live and perfect for farmers and ranchers, Oklahoma is one of the unhappiest states. The state reports low levels of emotional and physical well-being for its inhabitants, partially due to some of the highest working hours in the nation and low involvement in sports. 

Kentucky is another Southern state that ranks extremely low in terms of the emotional and physical well-being of its people. The key components of the state’s unhappiness include high levels of adult depression, low rates of adequate sleep, and some of the lowest sports participation rates. 

Nashville is the heart of the country music scene, teeming with honkey tonk bars and upbeat live music. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge bring thousands of out-of-state visitors every year, excited for fun-filled family vacations. In a state that sounds like so much fun, what is making the people who live there so unhappy? Despite being a popular destination for tourists, Tennessee ranks quite low for community, not to mention an almost equally low ranking for the emotional and physical well-being of residents. 

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Home to tons of historic landmarks from the American Civil Rights Movement, Alabama has an eerie history and is considered one of the unhappiest states. People living in Alabama report low levels of emotional and physical well-being, and they also have a low sports participation rate.

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Isolated from the rest of the country, Alaska is remote, vast, and full of incredible wilderness that the rest of the country has to see to believe. Traveling there is a bucket list item for thousands of Americans, which leaves plenty wondering why it’s such an unhappy state. Alaska ranks extremely low for community and environment. Most places in the state can have pretty grueling environments in terms of both weather and terrain, especially during notoriously colder months. There are also plenty of rural locations in Alaska, so it makes complete sense that there isn’t a strong sense of community. Top all of that off with the state’s low income growth and the explanation for its unhappiness is clear.

If you’ve ever had a toxic job or struggled to find gainful employment, then you know how much work environment can impact happiness. New Mexico is one of the unhappiest states, mostly due to work-related factors. The state has the highest long-term unemployment rates in the country along with low income growth.

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Although Wyoming is one of the largest states in terms of land, it is both the least populous and least densely populated state in the contiguous U.S. Wyoming ranks near the bottom for emotional and physical well-being along with community and environment. Adding to the unhappiness factor are long work hours and low income growth. 

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Ohio is the unhappiest state in the Midwest. The state ranks low for both work environment and emotional and physical well-being, both of which are probably due in part to this Rust Belt state’s poor economy. 

Texas is the second-largest state both in terms of land mass and population. It’s also one of the more unhappy states. Texas ranks at the very bottom for community and environment and also ranks low for work environment. Workers in the state work longer hours than average and Texas is also one of the most unsafe places to live.

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Another unhappy Midwestern state is Indiana, which falls near the bottom for both emotional and physical well-being and community and environment.

With a shoreline full of subtropical beaches including the tourist magnets of Myrtle Beach and the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina seems to have plenty to offer. Overall, however, it’s a pretty unhappy state, ranking low for both the emotional and physical well-being of its residents and work environment. 

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Georgia has a little bit of everything: mountains, coastal beaches, and farmland. Outsiders might think the state offers something for everyone and assume that people who live there are pretty happy. In reality, people in Georgia are on the lower end of the spectrum for emotional and physical well-being and they have a bleak work environment. 

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No matter what state you live in, most of us know someone who spends their winters in Florida or retired to Florida to enjoy the warm weather, beaches, and salty breeze. Some might be shocked that Florida is on the lower end of the happiness scale, but the state has high divorce rates, is one of the least-safe places to live, and has high long-term unemployment rates.

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It's not easy being green. Nestled in the Pacific Northwest region, Oregon is known for being one of the most environmentally green places to live. But being green isn’t the equivalent to being happy. The state scores quite low for emotional and physical well-being and has some of the highest rates for adult depression.

If you love wilderness, Montana might seem idyllic to you. Between Glacier National Park, The Rocky Mountains, and the Great Plains, the state has so much to offer. Happiness, however, is on the lower end for citizens of Montana. Emotional and physical well-being and community and environment are the two biggest contributors to the overall unhappiness in the state.

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Landlocked in the Midwest, Kansas is known for being one of the leading agricultural states in the nation, but it’s not known for being one of the happiest. Kansas ranks on the lower end for emotional and physical well-being and even lower for community and environment.

Located in the Great Lakes region in the Upper Midwest, Michigan has lakes and beaches to enjoy during summer and gets lots of snow in the winter. The state leans more toward the unhappy side, mostly because of the emotional and physical well-being of its residents.

Missouri is another Midwestern state that is on the lower half of the happiness spectrum. Like many other states with lower happiness levels, the biggest factor in that rating is the emotional and physical well-being of residents. 

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North Carolina is known for having plenty of career opportunities and an impressive educational system, but it still winds up on the lower half of the overall happiness spectrum. Its low rating is thanks to a weak score for community and environment. 

Arizona has the Grand Canyon, deserts, and mountains. While the environment there is unique and stunning, the state is also known for extreme, dry heat. Perhaps that’s why the state ranks on the lower end for community and environment, resulting in a blow to the overall happiness of the state.

Delaware is just on the other, lower side of the midpoint for happiness across all 50 states. Its score is drug down due to work environment and community and environment factors.

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Even though it ranks quite low in the work environment and community and environment categories, Illinois’ happiness score falls right in the center overall since its inhabitants display a strong collective emotional and physical well-being.

Pennsylvania doesn’t have a strong score for work environment, but community and environment and emotional and physical well-being are middle-of-the-road, placing the state near the center of the spectrum.

Nevada has all the hustle, bustle, and excitement that is Las Vegas. All that city has to offer probably has lots to do with the state’s extremely high score for community and environment. With more mid-range scores for emotional and physical well-being and work environment, however, the overall happiness of this state winds up closer to the mid-section. 

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Located in the western part of the country, Colorado features a diverse terrain that includes the Rocky Mountains, river canyons, and even deserts. In terms of community and environment, Colorado falls almost all the way at the bottom, but the state has some of the highest adequate sleep rates, high sports participation rates, and high income growth, all of which bring its overall happiness score up. 

Known for quaint Colonial towns and serene shoreline beaches, Rhode Island has generally happy inhabitants, partially due to the fact that the state has lower-than-average working hours.

Known for its rocky coastline, abundant lobster, and beautiful lighthouses, Maine ranks as the 20th happiest state in the nation, and it’s considered the safest state to live in.

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With small towns and vast wilderness, New Hampshire is a one-of-a-kind place to live. It’s also one of the happier places to live and scores pretty high for offering a good work environment.

New York has so much to offer from busy cities to rural areas. The state has pretty happy inhabitants, too, with low rates for adult depression and one of the highest scores for overall emotional and physical well-being.

With a sprawling Atlantic coastline and a rich history, Virginia is an interesting place to live and visit. It’s also one of the happier states to live in, mainly because of an extremely positive rating for emotional and physical well-being.

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Wisconsin has good scores across the happiness spectrum, ranking especially high for work environment and on the higher end for emotional and physical well-being. 

Known for cornfields and rolling plains, Iowa is also one of the happier states. The state scores high for work environment and community and environment, resonated by even higher scores for low long-term unemployment rates and high volunteer involvement. 

Nebraska boasts low long-term unemployment rates and scores high for both work environment and emotional and physical well-being, making it a pretty happy state overall.

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Washington is known for a lot of things: lush green landscapes, incredible hiking trails, fresh seafood, and apparently, happiness. Washington is the 13th happiest state with high sports participation and high income growth levels acting as key players in that score.

Vermont is one of the happiest states and for good reason. It’s considered the second-safest state, has lower than average work hours, reports high sports participation rates, and has some of the highest adequate sleep rates in the nation.

With one of the highest scores for emotional and physical well-being, Connecticut is the 11th happiest state. Connecticut also reports some of the lowest levels for adult depression.

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States in the New England region are some of the happiest in the country. Massachusetts breaks into the top 10 with high rankings for both emotional and physical well-being and work environment. Workers in the state enjoy shorter work days and high income growth.

New Jersey has the top spot in terms of emotional and physical well-being and the top spot for lowest rates for adult depression. Additionally, the state has low divorce rates.

With an abundance of coastlines and waterways, Maryland offers plenty of opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. It is also one of the happiest states, coming in near the top for emotional and physical well-being and community and environment.

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Idaho ranks second for both work environment and community and environment. The state comes in at seventh for overall happiness.

Sparsely populated with prairies and forests and home to Mount Rushmore, South Dakota is quite the happy state, ranking especially high for work environment and community and environment.

Similar to South Dakota, North Dakota has a high score for community and environment, and work environment. The state also has the second lowest divorce rates in the country and the lowest long-term unemployment rate.

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There is plenty to see and do in California, from beaches and cities to mountains and hiking trails. California ranks fourth for emotional and physical well-being, and it is also the state with the second-highest income growth.

The only tropical state in the country, Hawaii is an archipelago that is located almost 2,000 miles from the mainland. Hawaii has incredible beaches and landscapes and is truly a state unlike any other. It ranks second for lowest rates of adult depression and can also boast low divorce rates.

Home to more than 10,000 lakes, Minnesota is the second-happiest state. It’s the third-safest place to live, has low divorce rates, high volunteer rates, and high levels for adequate sleep. 

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Utah has breathtaking landscapes and is considered one of the best states if you like being outdoors. The state has high sports participation, the highest volunteer rates and lowest divorce rates in the country, and it is the third-safest place to live.