California makes the top 10 list of ‘happiest states’ in the US. But who is number 1?

Californians, are you happy? Apparently, you should at least be luckier than Floridians, according to a new study from WalletHub.

The online personal finance service compared every state in the country, ranking them as “2023’s Happiest States in America.”

“In this study, WalletHub pulled the findings from ‘happiness’ research to determine which environmental factors are linked to a person’s overall well-being and satisfaction with life,” the service said in its findings.

It linked different elements to happiness based on the following research: Happy People Live Longer: Subjective well-being contributes to health and longevity, happiness from ordinary and extraordinary experiences, sports participation and happiness: evidence from American microdata, and unhappy cities.

Using a weighted ranking, it assessed a state’s emotional and physical well-being, such as adult depression rates, health index, career health, suicide rates, adequate sleep rate and food insecurity rate. It looked at the state’s work environment, including the number of hours worked, household income and financial anxiety. It also assessed community and environment, such as ideal weather, leisure time and divorce rates.

Where does California stand?

California made it to the top 10 list of happiest states in the country at number 7.

For emotional and physical well-being, it was rated No. 5 and under work environment, it ranked No. 34. The Golden State made it to No. 10 for community and environment.

Utah topped the list at No. 1 for the happiest state. It ranks number 16 for well-being and number 1 for both working environment and community and environment. West Virginia concludes the ranking at No. 50, scoring the lowest for well-being and work environment.

Here is the top 10 list of happiest states in the US, according to WalletHub:

1. Utah
2. Hawaii
3. Maryland
4. Minnesota
5. New Jersey
6. Connecticut
7. California
8. Florida
9. Idaho
10. Nebraska

More findings

California also did relatively well on other rankings.

According to the study, the state also has the lowest share of adult depression, according to the study, ranked No. 3. California is also No. 1 for highest income growth.

It’s volunteer rate, however, is one of the lowest, landing at No. 48.

For safety, California did not make a notable appearance on the list. Vermont was ranked the safest state and Louisiana, the least safe.