Surprised? NY’s Mediocre Ranking on 2022’s ‘Happiest States’ List

I know I shouldn't necessarily be surprised, maybe the feeling is more disappointed when it comes to where our fine state of New York came in on a recent publication of the 'happiest states' in the US.  I was NOT surprised to see that Hawaii claimed that number one spot, I mean, who wouldn't be happy living in that kind of environment. Us NY'ers certainly aren't the happiest people around, that's for certain, but do you agree where we came in for this years rankings?

New York Lands Almost Dead Center on List of Happiest States in the US

WalletHub is known for putting out comprehensive lists and guides about all sorts of topics and areas of interest, and just this week published their list of the Happiest States in the US list for 2022, needless to say NY was not near the top.

With a total score of 53.36, New York landed at number 23 on the list for 2022, Hawaii pulling a 66.31 in the top spot, and West Virginia at 33.83 at number 50 - these numbers reflecting the relative rank of the state, where 1 represents the best metrics.

Digging a bit deeper into the study and results, New York came in dead last when it comes to statewide volunteer rates.

The Empire State also came in second to last with regard to long-term unemployment rate.

Surprisingly, we did not come in on the top 5 for most work hours OR least sleep hours.  I would have imagined both to be true.

How Is Happiness Calculated Across The States?

WalletHub identified the combination of both internal and external factors as important players in determining happiness rates.  In this particular study, WalletHub 'drew upon the findings of happiness research to determine which environmental factors are linked to a person's overall well-being and satisfaction with life.'

A criteria of 30 different metrics were used to compare emotional and physical well being, work environment and community and environment.  They then determined each state's weighted average across all 30 to calculate the overall score and ranking.  Check out the full analysis here.