NEW JERSEY — New Jersey is the second happiest state in America in 2026, according to a new study released Monday by personal finance website WalletHub.
Hawaii took the top spot as the happiest state in the country, while West Virginia ranked 50th as the least happy state.
The report comes as a recent Gallup poll found that 44% of Americans are “very satisfied” with the way their life is going.
WalletHub compared all 50 states across 30 key indicators of happiness to determine which states provide the best conditions for life satisfaction. The indicators include depression rates, the share of adults who feel active and productive, income growth and unemployment rates.
New Jersey ranked No. 2 overall in the study.
The Garden State ranked first for its percentage of depressed adults and suicide rate and second for its separation and divorce rate. New Jersey also ranked 13th for the share of adults feeling active and productive, 14th for number of work hours and 16th for safety.
The full report is available on WalletHub’s website.
