So you live in Florida and you are miserable. This study says that’s not weird
Are we happy, Florida?
We should be. We have sun and beaches and no state taxes. In Miami, we are triply blessed with cheap cafecito, all the croquetas we can eat and a basketball team that’s a blast to watch in the NBA Finals.
But it’s not enough.
Apparently happiness remains elusive for those of us in the 305 and throughout the rest of the state. A new study from WalletHub shows that Florida couldn’t even make the list of the top 20 happiest states in America.
WalletHub’s “happiness research” includes all the things that allegedly make us happy, such as positive economic, emotional, social and physical health. No, apparently the data they studied didn’t include driving around outside La Carreta while banging pots and pans to celebrate a sports victory, or we would appear a lot higher on this list.
Instead, the study examined such metrics as rates of depression, positive COVID-19 testing and unemployment in each state as well as income growth.
The result? Florida landed in the middle of the pack at no. 27.
The ranking could be worse, we know. We could be West Virginia, which is the least happy state in America. We do not want to be West Virginia.
So where did Florida go wrong? We have one of the highest long-term unemployment rates and the second-highest rate of divorce (people split up faster only in Nevada). We’re also one of the top five least safe states in the nation, according to the study (no. 48, with only Louisiana and Mississippi faring worse). Maybe this explains why Miami is so mean.
Also, Florida has one of the lowest volunteer rates, while Utah, the second happiest state in the U.S., has the highest. Is it possible Florida thinks too much about itself instead of trying to uplift others? Of course it does.
Here are the 20 happiest states in the U.S., according to the study.
Hawaii
Utah
Minnesota
New Jersey
Maryland
California
North Dakota
Iowa
Idaho
Connecticut
Nebraska
South Dakota
Massachusetts
Virginia
Washington
Vermont
New York
Wisconsin
Nevada
Arizona
The least happy states in the country:
West Virginia
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Kentucky
Tennessee
Mississippi
Alabama
Alaska
Oregon
What are the country’s healthiest cities? Miami isn’t one of them, study says
