The 5 Happiest States in America Revealed

Source: thephotographymuse, via Flickr.

The happiest states in America all share two distinct characteristics: They have healthy -- though usually not "booming" -- economies, and they all have cultures that are usually centered around living in smaller, more tight-knit communities. Apparently, those two are key ingredients for living in a healthy and happy state.

At least, that's the conclusion I draw from WalletHub's recent release of the happiest states in America. The company used data from its own proprietary information, surveys conducted with residents in every state, and government data to evaluate each state on 25 different metrics.

When all was said and done, the states covered in the slideshow below came out ahead of the rest. Check to see if your state made the list, and to find out the other key traits these states possessed to get such high rankings.

The 5 Happiest States in America from

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