Is California One Of The Happiest States In The Country?

Happiness may be a state of mind, but happiness also depends on your state. While not the happiest state in the country, Californians are among the happiest in the United States, according to a new study by WalletHub.

The study compared the 50 states across 28 different categories – ranging from depression and suicide rates to sleep and sports participation – to determine where people are most happy. California ranked as the fourth happiest state in the country, according to the personal finance website's report, which looked at three main criteria: emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community and environment.

The analysis ranked only Minnesota, Utah and Hawaii ahead of California. Nebraska came in after California, rounding out the top five happiest states, according to the study.

Compared to other states, Californians have low rates of depression and play a lot of sports, which offsets one of the lowest rates of income growth.

After Hawaii and New Jersey, the Golden State has the third lowest share of adult depression, according to the study. California also has the fourth highest sports participation rate, following Colorado, Oregon and Washington. However, the state has the fourth-worst income growth. Only Georgia, Florida, Arizona and Nevada have lower rates of income growth.

"People determine their own happiness. But how content we are with life is not only and always a matter of perspective," WalletHub author Richie Bernardo wrote. "Where we choose to live can also influence our level of happiness."

So what is the unhappiest state in the country? West Virginia, according to WalletHub. Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas rounded out the top five unhappiest states. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Click here to view the complete rankings.

Related Articles:

• San Diego, Chula Vista Among Happiest Cities In United States: Study
• Best — And Worst — Places To Raise A Family In California: Report
• Best & Worst Places To Retire In California: Report

Image via Bureau of Land Management via flickr.com, used under Creative Commons