What Makes Minnesota One Of America's Happier States

Thanks to long-lasting relationships, lots of people willing to help those in need and an opportunity to get a good night's sleep, Minnesotans are among the happiest United States residents. With the cost-of-living skyrocketing and economic uncertainty growing, only 44% of Americans say they feel "very satisfied" with their lives according to Gallup. WalletHub surveyed the 50 states across 30 metrics to determine which US state provided its residents with the best combination of economic, emotional, physical and social health. WHAT MAKES SOMEONE HAPPY 'The happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a wide variety of areas, from strong state economies and great physical and mental healthcare to adequate amounts of leisure time and good weather," said WalletHub's Chip Lupo. "It's also important to note that while the adage that money can't buy happiness has a lot of truth to it, having enough money to live comfortably is still essential. But anything beyond that won't necessarily enhance happiness as much as having fulfilling hobbies, relationships and opportunities for personal growth.' Using the main categories of Emotional/Physical Well Being; Work Enviroment and Community Environment, Hawaiians were found to be the happiest in the United States, followed by New Jersey, Utah, Idaho and Maryland. HOW HAPPY ARE MINNESOTANS? Minnesota finished as the eighth-happiest state in the country with an eighth-place finish in Emotional/Physical Well Being, eleventh in Work Environment and 17th in Community Environment. In the subcategories, Minnesota finished second in Adequate Sleep Rate; third in Volunteer Rate, fourth in Divorce Rate, fourth in Sports Participation Rate, eighth in Overall Safety and tenth in both Number of Work Hours and Share of Adults Feeling Active/Productive. West Virginia was found to be the least-happy state, finishing just ahead (behind?) of Louisiana.