Utah isn’t just the birthplace of JW Marriott, land of “America’s First Department Store,” and the unlikely launchpad of Kentucky Fried Chicken (yes, you read that correctly). The Beehive State also has the nation’s best work environment, according to WalletHub rankings released Monday.
As its name suggests, the personal finance company’s annual Happiest States in America list measures merriment in each of the 50 states. But WalletHub gauged happiness using 30 metrics across three categories: physical and emotional well-being, whose metrics included sleep adequacy and sports participation; community and environment, whose metrics included leisure time and ideal weather; and work environment, whose metrics included job security and median credit score.
While Utah, 2023’s happiest state, lost to Hawaii this year in the overall rankings, it maintained its reign atop the work environment and community and environment categories. West Virginia, ranked last year’s worst work environment, remained at the bottom of the list this time around.
Work environment included these metrics:
Scores for all metrics weren’t made public, but Utah notably had the fewest work hours, and tied with Alabama and North Dakota for the third-lowest long-term unemployment rate.
Among the secrets to a satisfying career is finding work that uses your unique skills and creates value for someone else, according to Jo Jorgensen, PhD, a principal lecturer in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences at Clemson University in South Carolina.
“If you do not have your dream job yet and you are watching the clock and waiting for your workday to end, keep looking for the right job,” Jorgensen said in a news release about the rankings. “Even in prestigious careers, many people are just treading water, focused on watching the calendar for the next vacation or promotion or pay bump. To really enjoy your life, aim for a calling.
“The difference is a focus on helping others or finding meaning in your work, rather than being focused on yourself. It is corny, but yes, if you love your work, working for your whole life can be more than just bearable—it can be rewarding.”
10 states with best work environments
1. Utah (same as 2023)
2. Vermont (up from No. 10)
3. Idaho (up from No. 6)
4. Minnesota (down from No. 3)
5. Massachusetts (up from No. 16)
6. Montana (down from No. 2)
7. Nebraska (same as 2023)
8. Rhode Island (up from No. 12)
9. New Hampshire (up from No. 19)
10. Maryland (down from No. 4)
10 states with worst work environments
50. West Virginia (same as 2023)
49. Louisiana (same as 2023)
48. Alaska (same as 2023)
47. New Mexico (down from No. 45)
46. Kentucky (down from No. 41)
45. California (down from No. 34)
44. Nevada (up from No. 46)
43. Arkansas (down from No. 42)
42. New York (down from No. 39)
41. Indiana (down from No. 27)
States with most, fewest work hours
Fewest work hours
1. Utah
2. Vermont
3. Rhode Island
4. Oregon
T-5. Connecticut
T-5. Massachusetts
Most work hours
50. Alaska
T-48. Wyoming
T-48. Texas
T-45. South Dakota
T-45. Louisiana
States with highest, lowest income growth
Perhaps unsurprisingly, money fails to increase happiness as much as you might think, said Jorgensen, who has been teaching a course called Pursuing Happiness for 15 years.
“After 10 minutes in a cold pool, you adjust, and it no longer feels cold. We adapt to wealth in the same way,” she said in the news release. “We tend to think that if we just had a slightly larger house or a nicer car or could go on expensive vacations, then we will finally ‘really be happy.’ But it never ends.
“Even financially successful people with a mansion and a fleet of cars along with a 100-foot yacht often think they will ‘finally become happy’ if they could just get a 150-foot yacht. If you do not know how to appreciate what you have, having more will not change that.”
Highest income growth
1. Idaho
2. Arizona
3. California
4. Oregon
5. Washington
Lowest income growth
50. Alaska
49. Wyoming
48. North Dakota
47. Connecticut
46. Oklahoma
No. 1 Idaho’s income growth was triple that of No. 50 Alaska.
States with highest, lowest long-term unemployment rates
Lowest long-term unemployment rates
1. South Dakota
2. Nebraska
T-3. Alabama
T-3. North Dakota
T-3. Utah
Highest long-term unemployment rates
50. New Jersey
T-48. New York
T-48. California
47. Illinois
46. Rhode Island
No. 50 New Jersey’s long-term unemployment rate was seven times worse than that of No. 1 South Dakota.
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