The 10 unhappiest states in the US, ranked

The “Sooner State” received its lowest ranking for emotional and physical well-being, finishing 48th overall.

Nearly 27% of adults in Oklahoma reported being diagnosed with a depressive disorder — one of the highest rates in the country — and life expectancy at birth is below the national average at 74.1 years.

However, Oklahoma had a very high ranking for community and environment, finishing fifth overall despite an average volunteer rate (27th among all states) and 13.9% of women and 11.7% of men being divorced.

Alaska’s lowest ranking — 48th — was for work environment, as it has the highest number of work hours and the lowest income growth in the country.

Workers in Alaska work a mean of 41.6 hours weekly, with men working 44.9 hours weekly. This could be a result of the higher percentage of physical labor jobs in Alaska, as 5.3% of the state’s industry is in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (that’s just 1.6% of the national industry).

“The Last Frontier” had a mid-tier emotional and physical well-being ranking, finishing 33rd, thanks in part to its average life expectancy (76.6 years) and adult depression rates (20.3%).

Tennessee received a mix of medium-to-low rankings, the highest of which was in work environment (24th) and the lowest being in emotional and physical well-being (46th).

The state’s employment metrics all fell close to national averages, with the employment rate at 59.9%, the average commute time at 26.3 minutes, and the mean usual hours worked at 39.1 weekly.

Lupo noted that Tennessee’s higher work environment “makes sense, to a degree, because Nashville is a thriving city. There’s plenty of jobs and plenty of opportunities there, but it’s offset by a lot of the rural outlets there.”

Meanwhile, the state’s low emotional and physical well-being ranking was tied to it having the worst share of adult depression in the country at 29.2% and one of the lower life expectancies at 73.8 years.

The state’s mixed rankings are particularly interesting given its recent influx of movers; the US Census Bureau and the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s State Data Center reported that the state’s population grew by more than 82,000 people in 2022 — the largest annual population growth since 2007.

Arkansas received the worst ranking for emotional and physical well-being.

According to the 2022 BRFSS, 26.6% of adults reported being diagnosed with a depressive disorder, and the National Center for Health Statistics reported that life expectancy at birth is 73.8 years.

WalletHub also reported that residents in Arkansas have one of the worst sleep rates and sports participation rates.

The “Natural State” ranked in the bottom 10 for work environment, finishing 43rd with an employment rate of 56.1%. Workers also spend an average of 39.1 hours at their jobs weekly, with men working an even higher average of 41.1 hours.

Arkansas’ bright spot is its community and environment rank, which placed it in the middle of the pack at 25th overall.

Louisiana is the unhappiest state in the US, ranking second-to-last for emotional and physical well-being and work environment.

Just over 26% of adults reported being diagnosed with a depressive disorder, and the life expectancy is 73.1 years.

WalletHub also found that Louisiana has one of the worst adequate sleep rates and one of the longest working weeks.

Men in Louisiana work an average of 42.9 hours weekly, contributing to the overall state average of 39.8 hours worked weekly. The “Pelican State” has an employment rate of 55.9%, about 5% lower than the national rate of 60.6%.

Finally, the state ranked 40th for community and environment, with one of the highest shares of divorce — 12.7% of women and 10.5% of men — and the worst safety ranking from WalletHub.