Maybe it's the heat and humidity. Or maybe it's due to a slow economy. But for whatever reason, many of the unhappiest states in the U.S. are in the South, according to a new ranking.
The states were rated on a number of factors, including health factors such as suicide and depression rates, economic factors such as income, employment rates and credit ratings, and lifestyle factors such as divorce rates, recreational time and volunteerism, according to the website MagnifyMoney, which conducted the study.
For example, life expectancy for the bottom 10 unhappiest states in the ranking ranged from 75 to 77.2 years of age, while the top 10 happiest states ranged from 80.2 to 81.3 years of age, according to MagnifyMoney.
According to MagnifyMoney, These are the unhappiest states, in ascending order, based on the data:
10. Georgia
Of the bottom 10 states, George was highest in the lifestyles category with a ranking of 33. Health came in at 42, and prosperity at 45.
9. Nevada
Nevada came in at 28th for health. Data shows that 36.6 percent of the residents exercise regularly.
8. Tennessee
Tennessee reported that 27.6 percent of its residents exercised regularly, despite being ranked low on health.
7. Arkansas
Arkansas, known as the home of Walmart, ranked 31st for prosperity.
6. Kentucky
The state ranked 24th for prosperity, partly due to being home to job-producing companies such as Humana and Toyota.
5. Mississippi
Both lifestyle and prosperity ranked at 48.
4. Alabama
The state was last in the health category. Over 20 percent of its residents reported regularly exercising.
3. West Virginia
The state was low in the health category, at 49, and lifestyle was at a 46. It's top score was for prosperity, where it ranked 36th among all states.
2. Rhode Island
The state ranked 39th in the prosperity category. Health and lifestyle were in the mid to upper 40s.
1. Louisiana
Despite being a tourist magnet, the state was at the bottom of the categories for prosperity and lifestyle. However, 28.2 of Louisiana’s residents reported regularly exercising, giving the state a rank of 37 for health.
The full report can be viewed here.
