These Are the Happiest States in the US—Where Does Yours Fall?

From financial stability to family and friends, the things that make someone happy vary from person to person, with where you live having possibly the biggest impact of all.

For a recent study, WalletHub examined the findings of “happiness” research conducted by several government agencies and academic institutions to figure out where Americans are the happiest. Overall, the research found that good economic, emotional, physical, and social health are key to a well-balanced and fulfilled life.

To determine which Americans show the best combination of these factors, the personal finance site examined how each of the 50 states compared across 30 metrics—ranging from depression rate and share of adults feeling productive to income growth and unemployment rate. The analysis even examined the number of work-related stress tweets posted from 340 major cities.

"The happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a wide variety of areas, from strong state economies and high-quality physical and mental health care to adequate amounts of leisure time and good weather," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement.

Happiest States in the U.S., According to WalletHub

1. Hawaii
2. Maryland
3. Nebraska
4. New Jersey
5. Connecticut
6. Utah
7. California
8. New Hampshire
9. Massachusetts
10. Idaho
11. Minnesota
12. Delaware
13. South Dakota
14. Florida
15. Virginia
16. New York
17. Iowa
18. Pennsylvania
19. Georgia
20. Wisconsin
21. North Dakota
22. Illinois
23. Arizona
24. Washington
25. South Carolina
26. Rhode Island
27. Kansas
28. North Carolina
29. Vermont
30. Wyoming
31. Missouri
32. Montana
33. Maine
34. Indiana
35. Michigan
36. Oklahoma
37. Texas
38. Ohio
39. Oregon
40. Nevada
41. Colorado
42. Mississippi
43. Kentucky
44. New Mexico
45. Tennessee
46. Alaska
47. Alabama
48. Arkansas
49. Louisiana
50. West Virginia

Perhaps not surprisingly, Hawaii topped the list of happiest states, with residents reporting the highest levels of life satisfaction in the nation and the second-lowest depression rate, according to WalletHub.

Around 85 percent of adults in Hawaii report they are in good or better health, with residents experiencing the longest life expectancy in the U.S. The state also has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 2.4 percent, as well as the second-highest share of households with an annual income above $75,000. Despite all this, Hawaiians ranked last in adequate sleep.

Similarly, Maryland, which ranked second, has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 3.2 percent, along with the highest percentage of households earning over $75,000 per year, according to WalletHub. Rounding out the top three, Nebraska has the fourth-lowest unemployment rate at 2.9 percent and the second-highest economic security in the nation, which measures whether community members are employed, insured, and otherwise financially stable.

But a move to Hawaii won't guarantee happiness. "The most important thing about happiness is that it is a perception. Each person creates their own sense of happiness based on past experiences and current circumstances, making it deeply individualistic," Jeanette M. Bennett, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of psychological science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, told WalletHub.

She added: “When we think about the 'ingredients' of happiness, one important question is: how close is someone’s idea of what their life should be to the reality of the life they are living? When those are aligned, people are generally happy. When they are not, disruption, frustration, unhappiness, and discontent often arise."