Keep That Smile On Your Face Because Utah Is Officially The Happiest State In America
By Courtnie Erickson|Published September 18, 2023
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Courtnie Erickson
Author
From Southern Utah to the Panhandle in Idaho, Courtnie Erickson has lived in what she believes are the best (and the most beautiful!) areas in the country. She graduated with a journalism degree from Utah State University and has more than 15 years of professional writing experience. You’ll likely see her with a Dr. Pepper in her hand and a pair of running shoes on her feet. Courtnie is a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState.
It’s official — Utah is not only a place of beauty, soda shops, and cookies, but it is also a place of happiness. In fact, Utah is officially the happiest state in America. A recent study by WalletHub looked at various factors to determine where Americans were happiest and Utah ranked #1. No wonder so many Utahns have a smile on their face.
How did Utah become the happiest state in America? Well, WalletHub compared all 50 states on three key factors: Emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community and environment. Within each area, they used 30 relevant metrics.
When compared to other states around the country, Utah ranked #1 for work environment, which included factors such as commute time, job security, and income-growth rate.
Utah also ranked #1 for community and environment, which looked at items such as volunteer rate, safety, ideal weather, and average leisure time spent each day.
However, Utah only ranked #16 when compared to other states for emotional and physical well-being. Some factors considered in this area included physical health index, adult depression, suicide rate, adults with poor mental health, and more.
Utah moved up in the rankings in 2023, beating out Hawaii for the title of the Happiest State in America. However, Hawaii did rank #1 for emotional and physical well-being. Other states that topped the list of the Happiest States in America include Maryland, Minnesota, and New Jersey.
Nearby states such as Idaho came in at #9, Arizona #27, Colorado #31, Nevada #32, and Wyoming #36.
We aren’t surprised that Utah is officially the happiest state in America. We have so many things to make us happy — beautiful national and state parks, all types of businesses, the best campgrounds around, and so much more. We are truly blessed to call the Beehive State home.
For more information on the study, visit WalletHub. And don’t forget to let us know what you think of the findings. Are you surprised Utah is the happiest state in America? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
