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Mapped: America’s Happiest States in 2024
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Decades of research have found that the predictors of happiness stem from many interwoven factors, such as the quality of a person’s relationships to financial stability.
When it comes to the degree of happiness across U.S. states, notable differences emerge. These are influenced by economic, social, and emotional factors that may shape life satisfaction and wellbeing. Additionally, warmer weather and life expectancy rates play a role in evaluating overall happiness.
This graphic shows happiness levels by U.S. state in 2024, based on data from WalletHub.
Methodology
For the analysis, each state was scored on a scale of 100, based on 30 metrics including the following:
- Life expectancy
- Number of hours worked
- Social well-being
- Ideal weather
- Economic security
The happiness level of each state was determined by calculating the weighted average of the 30 metrics, using data from four research studies that identified correlations between these key metrics and happiness.
Ranking Happiness Levels Across U.S. States
As the table below shows, Hawaii stands as the happiest state, with a score of 68.71 out of 100.
The Aloha State ranks first overall across several key metrics including life expectancy rates and life satisfaction. Moreover, 72% of residents report being productive and active daily, in addition to having the third-highest leisure time across states.
Rank | State | Happiness Score |
1 | Hawaii | 68.71 |
2 | Maryland | 64.67 |
3 | New Jersey | 62.46 |
4 | Utah | 62.20 |
5 | Delaware | 60.43 |
6 | Minnesota | 60.43 |
7 | Connecticut | 60.14 |
8 | Idaho | 58.84 |
9 | Nebraska | 58.60 |
10 | Massachusetts | 58.24 |
11 | South Carolina | 57.68 |
12 | South Dakota | 57.62 |
13 | California | 55.63 |
14 | Florida | 55.38 |
14 | New Hampshire | 55.38 |
16 | Virginia | 55.29 |
17 | Illinois | 54.39 |
18 | Kansas | 54.23 |
19 | Iowa | 54.22 |
20 | Georgia | 53.84 |
21 | Wisconsin | 53.23 |
22 | Pennsylvania | 53.18 |
23 | New York | 52.46 |
24 | North Carolina | 52.34 |
25 | Arizona | 52.13 |
26 | Maine | 51.56 |
27 | North Dakota | 51.35 |
28 | Washington | 51.11 |
29 | Rhode Island | 50.77 |
30 | Vermont | 50.45 |
31 | Michigan | 49.66 |
32 | Missouri | 48.30 |
33 | Montana | 48.12 |
34 | Wyoming | 47.07 |
35 | Colorado | 46.29 |
36 | Indiana | 45.92 |
37 | Nevada | 45.88 |
38 | Texas | 45.56 |
39 | Oregon | 44.95 |
40 | Ohio | 43.55 |
41 | Kentucky | 42.88 |
42 | Mississippi | 41.83 |
43 | Oklahoma | 41.74 |
44 | Alabama | 41.67 |
45 | Alaska | 41.44 |
46 | New Mexico | 40.82 |
47 | Tennessee | 40.32 |
48 | West Virginia | 38.09 |
49 | Arkansas | 37.09 |
50 | Louisiana | 32.97 |
In second place is Maryland, with the highest share of residents earning more than $75,000 per year and an unemployment rate of 2.9%—among the lowest in America.
Beyond economic factors, Maryland residents rank third-highest in reporting strong relationships in their lives. In recent years, Columbia has been recognized as one of the top 10 happiest cities in the country due to its safety and its reputation for being an ideal place to raise a family.
Following next in line is New Jersey, with residents reporting the second-highest levels of life satisfaction nationwide.
By contrast, neighboring state New York falls near the middle of the pack (#23), weighed down by high long-term unemployment rates. While job gains have been strong in the healthcare sector, others, such as financial services and tech have seen higher job losses. On the brighter side, the state ranks among the lowest in suicide and depression rates.
On the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana is the least happy state in 2024. Overall, the state ranks 45th in the country for number of hours worked, 48th in divorce rates, and 50th in safety.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn more about this topic from a global perspective, check out this graphic on the world’s happiest countries in 2024.