Is Montana One Of The Happiest Places On Earth?
Are Montanans happy?
I realize that might be a strange question to ask, but it seems that certain states tend to be more happy than others, so what about here in Montana? I mean, Montana is one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are mountains, lakes, rivers, and a ton of other positives, so Montana probably ranks pretty high on the happy list, right?
One would think, but one just might be wrong.
Montana also has some drawbacks. Housing is expensive, we have a high rate of depression, and addiction is a problem across the state.
READ MORE: Why are people leaving Montana?
How happy is Montana compared to other states?
Our friends at WalletHub recently published their findings regarding the happiest states in America and it looks like Montana has some work to do. The Treasure State ranked in the bottom half, while some of our neighboring states made the Top 10.
Which factors were used to determine the outcome?
WalletHub used the following factors to determine the rankings:
- Emotional and Physical Well-Being
- Work Environment
- Community and Environment
As we mentioned, Montana has some issues with mental health and addiction which may explain why we rank 43rd out of 50 for emotional and physical well-being. The good news? We scored higher in regards to work environment and community and environment coming in 6th and 12th.
For those looking for a change of scenery, we mentioned that a couple of our neighbors ranked much higher when it comes to happiness. Both Utah and Idaho are ranked in the Top 10 and offer many of the same things we love here in Montana.
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