Amerisleep recently put together a list of the happiest states in America based on 17 different factors that apply to the average person's happiness, including health, education, work-life balance, environment, safety, housing, and income.
So, who wins the race to happiness? The top 5 states include sunny California, rugged South Dakota, the great plains of Nebraska, and bucolic Vermont. But none of them took the No. spot. That honor went to a place that may surprise you (keep reading!)
Other factors in the ranking included number of local health clubs, colleges, hospitals, average working hours plus a couple of surprises.
"This data paints a fascinating picture of happiness across the US," April Mayer from Amerisleep said. "The study analyzed a large array of factors, from sleep levels and access to healthcare to average commute time and house size. The states at the top of the list offer a great combination of the things that make people happy."
The No. 5 happiest state in the US goes to California. It has the most green space per square foot in the country, and ranks first for the environmental category. The Golden State also ranks sixth in the country in the health category.
Coming in as the No. 4 happiest state is South Dakota. Among the main happiness categories, South Dakota ranked No. 5 for work-life balance, No. 5 for income, No. 6 for environment, and No. 6 for housing size. It was also ranked the No. 17 best state in the health category.
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Nebraska earned the No. 3 happiest state title thanks in part to its No. 1 ranking in the work-life balance category. Residents loved their short commutes to work, a low average of weekly hours worked, and plenty of local health club options. Nebraska also was ranked No. 4 in the income growth category and No. 8 in health factors.
Finishing in second place for the happiest state in America is Vermont. Helping them finish as the second happiest state was their No. 1 ranking in the access to higher education category, as the state offers most higher education institutions per capita. They also ranked No. 3 in health, No. 4 in environment, No. 7 in work-life balance, and No. 17 in housing.
And the winner of the happiest state in America goes to... North Dakota! The Peace State ranked No. 1 in income growth, No. 1 in the health category, and No. 1 in the amount of national parks per square foot. They also ranked No. 2 for open spaces and natural beauty and No. 2 for access to higher education.
North Dakota offers great work-life balance as well, ranking at No. 4 in that category. They also were the No. 8 ranked state for overall environment.
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