Financial stability, crime rates and quality healthcare can all factor into a happy life for Americans.
However, despite its prowess in other areas, the country continues to place poorly in global rankings of overall happiness.
According to the World Happiness Report—a partnership between Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre and the United Nations—the U.S. fell eight spots to number 23 in the global rankings between 2023 and 2024.
This marks the first time in the report's 12-year history that the country has placed outside the top 20.
The global top 10 remains dominated by European states, with Finland at number one, and Israel and Australia also earning top spots.
A recent study from Columbia Business School attempted to measure the macroeconomic toll that unhappiness takes on the U.S., and found that mental illness costs the economy some $282 billion annually.
However, while Americans on the whole appear to be growing unhappier, there is a great deal of variance across the States.
By combining 31 metrics, including working hours, job security, rates of adult depression, World Population Review constructed a weighted overall happiness score for every state in the U.S.
Topping the list was Hawaii, with an overall happiness score of 66.3.
The youngest state in the Union, Hawaii ranked first for emotional and physical wellbeing, and has the highest average life expectancy of 80.7 years.
According to the most recent countrywide study by the Centers for Disease Control, Hawaii also possesses the lowest rate of adult depression, with 12.7 percent of its residents reporting a diagnosis compared to the 19.9 percent national median.
Hawaii sits well ahead of the rest of America, with Maryland coming in at second with a score of 62.6.
Maryland boasts the highest median income in the U.S. at $94,991, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than $20,000 dollars ahead of the national average.
Rounding out the rest of the top ten are Minnesota (62.43), Utah (62.41), New Jersey (61.7), Idaho (61.6), California (59.97), Illinois (58.59), Nebraska (58.19), and Connecticut (58.15).
At the other end of the spectrum sits West Virginia, with a total happiness score of 33.83.
Despite being known for natural beauty and rich Appalachian culture, the Mountain State is far from "almost heaven" according to the data.
West Virginia ranks last in overall emotional and physical wellbeing, 32 in "community & environment," and 48 in "work environment."
According to the CDC, the state suffers from the highest prevalence of adult depression, with more than a quarter (27.5%) of West Virginians having received a diagnosis of the disorder.
The bottom 10 also features Louisiana (34.81), Arkansas (38.23), Kentucky (38.36), Alabama (39.32), Mississippi (39.58), Oklahoma (40.69), Tennessee (43.35), New Mexico (43.64) and Missouri (45.38).
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