Are New Yorkers happy? According to a newly released report from WalletHub — kind of.
The Empire State was ranked No. 16 in the personal finance company’s assessment of all 50 states across 30 key metrics — including depression rate, income growth and the share of adults feeling productive — to find where Americans are the happiest.
“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,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.
Here’s what to know.
How happy is New York?
New York received an overall score of 55.42, a work environment ranking of 42, a community and environment ranking of 45 and was ranked No. 5 in the emotional and physical well-being category, according to WalletHub.
The Empire State has one of the lowest suicide rates as WalletHub ranked the state at No. 2 as well as one of the lowest shares of adult depression — tied at third with Florida. However, New York has one of the highest long-term unemployment rates, as it’s tied for 45th with Nevada and Washington.
WalletHub’s 10 happiest states
How WalletHub assessed states’ happiness
WalletHub compared 50 states across three key categories — emotional and physical well-being, work environment and community and environment — and 30 relevant metrics. The analysis also draws on research from various psychologists, neuroscientists, economists and professors who have published works on factors that lead to happiness.
The emotional and physical well-being category took into account these factors:
The work environment category took a look at these aspects:
And the community and environment category analyzed these components:
Data used to create the ranking was collected as of June 23, 2025, and the information was sourced from multiple entities, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, County Health Rankings, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and WalletHub research.
Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Are New Yorkers happy? New report says it’s complicated
Reporting by Emily Barnes, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
