SALT LAKE CITY — What exactly is harshing Utah's mellow?
A year after being named the happiest state in the U.S., Utah has dropped from the top spot in 2022.
According to the newest WalletHub rankings, Utah is now the fourth happiest state in the country... and we're not happy about it.
Taking an in-depth look at the study, it's not hard to see what The Beehive State dropped this year. While Utah remained No. 1 in the Work Environment and Community & Environment dimensions, it fell like a meteor shooting across the northern Utah sky in the Emotional Well-Being dimension.
Last year, finished No. 9 in Emotional Well-Being, but fell all the way down to No. 29 in the new rankings. The Emotional Well-Being dimension factors in metrics such as physical health, share of adult depression, adequate sleep and sports participation rate.
- WORK ENVIRONMENT: 1st
- COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENT: 1st
- EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING: 29th
One thing that that should put a smile on all Utah faces is that the study shows state residents work the fewest hours and has nearly the lowest unemployment rate in the country. In addition, Utah's low divorce rate is the best in the U.S., twice the rate in neighboring Nevada, the state with the worst divorce rate.
Hawaii now sits upon the throne of happiness, according to the study, followed by Maryland, Minnesota and Utah.
