While the state you live in will not solely determine your happiness, it is far easier to be happy in a tropical paradise (Hawaii) than in a frequently frozen wasteland (Ohio). Researchers weighed a wide range of criteria, including unemployment rates, sleep quality, and depression rates to determine which states are most likely to produce miserable residents.
1. West Virginia
When the country roads take West Virginians home to the place they belong, they better hope that a good therapist is in town. The Mountain State has many hollers where unemployment is sky-high, residents’ physical and psychological well-being is lagging, and substance abuse is widespread.
While West Virginia is a naturally beautiful state with many proud residents, it lacks quality healthcare, has crumbling infrastructure, and many other problems that sap its citizens’ well-being.
2. Louisiana
When you think Louisiana, you might picture Mardi Gras, Cajun cuisine, or a packed Tiger Stadium during a Saturday night LSU football game. While there is plenty of fun to be had in the Bayou State, the state’s infrastructure is notoriously unreliable (see: Hurricane Katrina), the economy is lackluster, and many of the state’s cities are riddled with crime.
3. Tennessee
Despite its crown jewel, Nashville, being among the fastest-growing cities in the country, many Tennesseans need help. In the big picture, the problem is bleak urban poverty (Memphis) and bleak rural poverty (much of the rest of Tennessee). With this poverty comes a lagging educational system, limited career opportunities, and widespread substance misuse.
4. Arkansas
You’re not imagining it—the top of this list does disproportionately feature Southern states. While plenty of Arkansas residents are happy as a peach hunting, raking in high salaries working for Wal-Mart or Tyson Foods, and enjoying the state’s natural beauty, many live in rural, impoverished corners of the state.
5. Kentucky
Kentuckians look down on West Virginians, and vice versa. Each state has its fair share of issues, and Kentucky ranks 2nd highest in adult depression rates (trailing only, you guessed it, West Virginia).
6. Alabama
Like so many states on this list, Alabama’s problems boil down to one word: poverty. Alabamans who struggle to make ends meet have proven susceptible to predatory lenders, which only furthers the poverty cycles plaguing residents of many Southern states.
7. Mississippi
Mississippi has the fourth-highest divorce rate, second-worst safety rating, and lowest recreational sports participation rate. We must view these problems in the context of Mississippi’s poverty rate, which generally ranks highest in the nation.
8. Alaska
Have you ever braved the Alaskan winter? If you did, you would probably be pretty depressed, too. One of the most naturally stunning states in the summer, Alaska becomes a dark tundra in the wintertime.
9. New Mexico
New Mexico has the dubious distinction of having the highest divorce rate of all 50 states. It is also the state with the fourth most instances of fatal self-harm. The Land of Enchantment is also the land of entrapment because nearly 20% of residents are stuck in a cycle of generational poverty.
10. Oklahoma
During the Great Depression, “Okies” wore the dusty faces of crippling property within a nation racked by economic hardship. While the Dust Bowl has subsided, Oklahomans do not fare well within the misery index. The data showed that Oklahomans’ incomes are growing more slowly than incomes in all but four other states, which is unsurprising considering the state’s agriculture-dependent economy.
11. Indiana
Addiction is rampant in Indiana, where one in 12 Hoosiers has a substance use disorder. While you might picture cornfields and the poverty that often accompanies rural living, cities like Gary prove Indiana also has its share of hyper-dangerous, decaying urban centers.
12. Texas
It’s hard to believe a state with Texas’ population growth rate could rank so high in terms of unhappiness, but the data is what it is. Zooming into many Texan cities and towns (especially toward the Southern border), you will see large pockets of impoverished Texans. The rapidly growing population also contributes to overcrowding, worn-out infrastructure, and rising living costs.
13. Oregon
The Pacific Northwest has become the poster region for the substance abuse epidemic, with sidewalks in cities like Portland looking like modern versions of Depression-era Hoovervilles. The weather alone can cause depression, while high living costs may add to Oregonians’ funk.
14. Ohio
It’s tough to blame Ohioans for getting down, what with the frigid winter weather, exportation of the manufacturing sector, and trainloads of toxic chemicals being burned in their backyards. At least they have Ohio State football as a consistent source of pride and joy.
15. Wyoming
The least populous state, Wyoming, likely has a higher-than-average percentage of lonely residents. It might be tough to get a Tinder date when the closest neighbor is 100 miles away. Brutal winters likely only exacerbate any sense of isolation Wyoming residents feel.
Source: WalletHub.
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