CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A lot of different things contribute to a person's overall happiness. It could be how financially secure they feel, or how satisfied they are in their social life, but there are various factors that contribute to a person's happiness levels.
A recent study by WalletHub examined 30 key metrics in 50 states, ranging from how productive the residents felt with their income growth, the state's unemployment rate and even the depression rate in the area to come up with a list it felt encompassed how "happy" each state is.
The three key dimensions it examined were a state's emotional and physical well-being, its work environment and its community and environment. To see a full list of all the metrics taken into account, here it is.
"I think that issues concerning perceptions of respect and social value may have similar implications for happiness regarding where people live," Virgil Zeigler-Hill, distinguished professor and director of graduate training at Oakland University said. "That is, if people live in an area where they feel valued by their communities (e.g., experience both status-based respect and inclusion-based respect), then they may be happier to live in those places."
It's probably no surprise that Hawaii ranked No. 1 when it came to overall happiness. But that leaves to question: Which state is "happier" under this study: North Carolina or South Carolina? Here's the full list:
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Utah
- New Jersey
- Idaho
- California
- Illinois
- Nebraska
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Iowa
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- New York
- Maine
- Wyoming
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Montana
- Colorado
- Arizona
- Kansas
- South Carolina
- Vermont
- Nevada
- Texas
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Michigan
- Alaska
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Louisiana
- West Virginia
"Community environments have an important influence on happiness and health," Maryam Kia-Keating, the founder of Power of Drishti Meditations, said. "In addition to your daily activities and choices, living in a community that offers access to resources and opportunities, and engenders a sense of safety, belonging, connection, and support helps people to thrive. Schools, neighborhoods, and community and faith-based organizations can play a big role in helping support well-being and cultivating collective happiness."
But which state do you think is the happiest? Weigh in on social media:
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