BOISE — Idaho is the sixth happiest state in the nation to live, according to the personal finance website WalletHub.
In the study, WalletHub compared all 50 states using three key dimensions: 1) Emotional and Physical Well-Being, 2) Work Environment and 3) Community and Environment.
They evaluated each dimension using 31 relevant metrics such as depression, sleep rate, sports participation, income growth, work hours, volunteer rate and safety. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness. And finally, a weighted average across all metrics was used to determine each state’s overall happiness score.
The top ten in order are: Hawaii, Utah, Minnesota, North Dakota, California, Idaho, Maryland, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Hawaii was tops in the emotional and physical well-being dimension, while Utah ranked number 1 for work environment, with Idaho coming at number 1 for community and environment. Idaho also ranked second in work environment.
Reseachers say happiness comes from a variety of internal and external factors. It can be influenced by such factors as who we spend time with and doing activities we love.
Here are the 10 least happy states according to the WalletHub study, ranking from 41-50: New Mexico, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, Oklahoma, Alaska, Louisiana, Arkansas and West Virginia.
