The Happiest States in the U.S. - See Where RI Ranks

The Happiest States in the U.S. - See Where RI Ranks

Where does Rhode Island rank among the happiest states in the U.S.?

According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, RI is ranked as the 33rd happiest state in the country.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

“Happiness comes from a combination of internal and external factors. We can influence it somewhat by approaching situations positively or choosing to spend time with people we love, doing activities we enjoy. One thing that doesn’t drive happiness is money. Happiness only increases with wealth up to an annual income of $75,000 to $95,000. But one thing that can have a big influence on how we feel about life is where we choose to live,” writes WalletHub.

This study comes a few months after another WalletHub study that showed the cities of Providence and Warwick to be among the most unhappy in the country.

RI’s Rankings

• 26th best - Emotional & Physical Well-Being
• 18the best - Work Environment
• 44th best - Community and Environment
• T-2- Fewest Work Hours

 

The Rankings

RI is ranked behind Montana and Kansas, who rank 31st and 32nd respectively.

Rhode Island is ranked ahead of Wyoming and Indiana, who rank 33rd and 34th respectively.

The happiest state the country is Hawaii, while the unhappiest state is West Virginia.

See the Rankings in the Map Below

 

The Method

In order to determine the happiest states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Work Environment and 3) Community & Environment.

They evaluated those dimensions using 31 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights.

WalletHub determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and rankings.

• Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity (Chan and Diener, 2010)
• Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences (Bhattacharjee and Mogilner, 2014)
• Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data (Huang and Humphreys, 2010)
• Unhappy Cities (Glaeser, et al., 2014)

 

Emotional & Physical Well-Being - Total Points: 50

• Career Well-Being: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Physical Health Index: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Adverse Childhood Experiences: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Share of Maltreated Adults: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Share of Adult Depression: Triple Weight (~6.82 Points)
• Social Well-Being: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Share of Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder: Double Weight (~4.55 Points)
• Adequate-Sleep Rate: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Sports-Participation Rate: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Share of Adults Feeling Active & Productive: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
• Illness & Disability Index: Triple Weight (~6.82 Points)
• Life Expectancy: Double Weight (~4.55 Points)
• Suicide Rate: Triple Weight (~6.82 Points)
• Food-Insecurity Rate: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)

 

Work Environment - Total Points: 25

• Number of Work Hours: Triple Weight (~5.77 Points)
• Commute Time: Half Weight (~0.96 Points)
• Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Full Weight (~1.92 Points)
• Share of Adults Worried About Money: Half Weight (~0.96 Points)
• Current Unemployment Rate: Half Weight (~0.96 Points)
• Long-Term Unemployment Rate: Half Weight (~0.96 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.92 Points)
• Job Security: Triple Weight (~5.77 Points)
• Job Satisfaction Score: Full Weight (~1.92 Points)
• Income-Growth Rate: Half Weight (~0.96 Points)
• Economic-Confidence Index: Full Weight (~1.92 Points)
• Median Credit Score: Half Weight (~0.96 Points)

 

Community & Environment - Total Points: 25

• Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Ideal Weather: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
• Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Safety: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)