Utah is the happiest state in the U.S., according to an analysis by personal finance website WalletHub.
To determine the nation's happiest states, analysts compared states across three dimensions — emotional and physical well-being; work environment; and community and environment — using 31 metrics. Metrics ranged from the suicide rate and the positive COVID-19 testing rate to income growth and unemployment rate.
Data for COVID-19 testing rates is from the week of Aug. 5, and data for the remaining metrics range from 2014 to 2021, depending on when the most recent information was available. Read more about the methodology here.
Here are the 10 happiest states, according to the analysis:
1. Utah
2. Minnesota
3. Hawaii
4. California
5. North Dakota
6. South Dakota
7. Idaho
8. Maryland
9. New Jersey
10. Massachusetts
Here are the 10 unhappiest states, according to the analysis:
1. West Virginia
2. Arkansas
3. Louisiana
4. Mississippi
5. Oklahoma
6. Kentucky
7. Tennessee
8. Alabama
9. Alaska
10. New Mexico