NJ Ranks Among Top 5 Happiest States In The U.S., Survey Says

NEW JERSEY — Are you happy living in the Garden State? Many residents are, according to a new survey by Nice Rx.

In fact, according to the report, New Jersey is the third happiest state in the U.S.

The pharmaceutical website used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to measure “happiness factors.” The factors include life expectancy, overall safety, health, and economic matters.

After collecting data, the website combined it into a “happiness score,” that gave equal weightage to each factor. The website said the data gave them an overview of what causes stress and strain in people’s lives.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, New Jersey received a happiness score of 8.25.

“This high score is due to a high mean salary of $114,691 supported by strong performances in all other categories,” the website said.

According to NiceRx, the life expectancy of a New Jersey resident is 79.8, with the homicide rate being 3.4 per 100,000 people. The data reported 3.57 percent of adults with serious mental illness and the poverty rate was 9.98 percent. The mean household income in New Jersey was calculated to be $114,691 and the state scored 51.76 in safety.

The two states to beat New Jersey to take top position were Hawaii at No. 1 and Connecticut at No. 2.

Here are top 10 happiest states in the country, according to the survey:

1. Hawaii
2. Connecticut
3. New Jersey
4. Massachusetts
5. Minnesota
6. California
7. Maryland
8. New Hampshire
9. New York
10. Washington

NiceRx also released a list of the unhappiest states in the country. These states performed poorly across the range of happiness factors, making them more difficult places to live a happy life. Topping the list was Mississippi which received the lowest overall Happiness Score — 2.06.

“The state suffers from an incredibly high poverty rate of 20.30 percent, while also suffering from a very low mean household income of $62,835,” NiceRx said.

Here are the top 10 unhappiest states:

1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. Arkansas
4. Alabama
5. West Virginia
6. Oklahoma
7. Tennessee
8. Kentucky
9. New Mexico
10. South Carolina

Additionally, NiceRx analyzed 50 countries from around the world, using data from the World Bank, Quality of Life Index, Corruption Perception Index, and more. The United States ranked 16 with a happiness score of 7.22.

For more on their methodology and other information, click here.