HARRISBURG, Pa. — When it comes to the level of overall happiness for its residents, Pennsylvania ranks firmly in the middle of the pack in a new study conducted by Wallethub.
The Keystone State checks in at No. 25 on Wallethub's list -- well below Mid-Atlantic neighbors Maryland (No. 3), New Jersey (No. 5) and New York (No. 16) but above our friends to the west, Ohio (No. 37).
According to Wallethub, the list was compiled by comparing all 50 states across three key dimensions:
- Emotional & Physical Well-Being
- Work Environment
- Community & Environment
"We evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, which were graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness," Wallethub said in an explanation of its methodology. "Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample."
Some of the metrics measured include each state's depression rate, the share of adults feeling productive, income growth, the unemployment rate, number of work hours, commute times, and amount of leisure time (the full methodology and list of metrics is available here).
Pennsylvania's overall score was 53.96.
The happiest state in the union, according to Wallethub, is Utah, which had an overall score of 69.79. The top five was rounded out by Hawaii (66.42), Maryland (64.62), Minnesota (62.82) and New Jersey (61.98).
The bottom five states in terms of overall happiness are Kentucky (40.58), Arkansas (39.72), Tennessee (38.30), Louisiana (35.86), and West Virginia (35.08).
"Happiness comes from a combination of internal and external factors," Wallethub said. "We can influence it somewhat by approaching situations positively or choosing to spend time with people we love, doing activities we enjoy."
But, Wallethub points out, it's harder to be happy in some years than in others.
"In 2023, high inflation remains a threat to Americans’ mental health," Wallethub said. "In fact, more than 75% of Americans who have experienced price increases where they live report feeling 'very' or 'moderately' stressed.
"In addition, only 50% of Americans feel 'very satisfied' with the way their personal life is going," Wallethub added.