#happiness-rankings

#happiness-rankings

The researchers poll 1,000 people per nation. They are asked to rank several issues on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the best. The first cut at the data includes GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. The researchers then take more slices of the data. This is broken into eight chapters.

The personal finance website evaluated all 50 states using 30 metrics, including depression rate, income growth, and unemployment rate, along with other factors that can contribute to overall happiness and satisfaction in the population. After crunching the numbers, Hawaii tops WalletHub's annual ranking of the happiest states in the country. According to WalletHub's data, Hawaii residents "have the longest life expectancy in the U.S., and nearly 72 percent of adults in the state report being active and productive on a daily basis."