Why Is Louisiana So Unhappy? Report Ranks State Near the Bottom

If the recent findings in a report are anywhere near accurate, Louisiana residents need to turn that frown upside down.

Get our free mobile app

The sobering report from Wallethub indicates that Louisiana is the second most unhappy state in all of America.

Hawaii, finishing with a total "Happiness Score" of 65.50, was determined to be the happiest of all states and with the type of environment that surrounds the islands, I can't imagine they would be any less than tops in this type of report.

At the very bottom we find the state of West Virginia, but only slightly above their total score of 32.04, we find Louisiana finishing with 34.26 and Arkansas just ahead with a score of 37.03

To determine the overall happiness of the residents of each state, Wallethub used several key metrics in three main areas including Emotional and Physical Well-Being, Work Environment, and Community and Environment.

READ MORE: Shreveport's Best Memories Of The Old Louisiana State Fair

Other factors included in the overall consideration ranged from depression rates to income growth to physical health and sleep rates.

Contributing to the perceived "unhappiness" of Louisiana residents were the findings that we were determined to be 49th in both the Emotional and Physical Well-Being and Work Environment rankings, but there was a little good news in that Louisiana finished with a 23rd ranking when it comes to Community and Environment, so we obviously have something we can build on.

A key takeaway from the study which includes some direction for improvement came from Wallethub analyst, Chip Lupo, who states, "In addition to pursuing your passions, having a good work-life balance and maintaining an emotional support network, another key way to boost your happiness is living in the right place. The happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a wide variety of areas, from strong state economies and high quality physical and mental health care to adequate amounts of leisure time and good weather."