NJ Just Named One Of The Top 3 HAPPIEST States in America

I recently wrote about New Jersey being ranked the #1 state to live in in America. You all have LOTS of opinions on that. Say what you will, New Jersey must be on to something, because now we were ranked as one of the top three happiest states in America! So be honest, are YOU happy?

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A pharmaceutical website called Nice Rx, did a study by drawing data from the CDC to determine what states rank the highest in overall happiness. The happiness factors used in the research were: life expectancy, overall safety, health, and economic status. Apparently, we killed it.

As the study goes, equal weight was given to each category to figure out what state has the happiest residents. They also dug into the least happy residents.

It turns out with all things considered, on a scale of 1-10 we got an 8.25...not too shabby. Money eases stress and apparently, we have a median household salary of $114,691 which is a start. Scroll down to see who beat us on the list!

Here are some factors in how we got ranked so high:

LONG LIFE:

The life expectancy of a New Jersey resident is a solid 80 years old!

Photo by JD Mason on Unsplash

LOWER CRIME:

New Jersey has become increasingly safe. Homicide rates are at 3.4 per 100,000 people.

Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

MENTAL HEALTH:

Mental illness is reported to be lower in our state...with the number of adults struggling at 3.57 percent

Photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash

LOW POVERTY RATE:

The poverty rate was 9.98 percent which is below the national average of almost 11%.

Photo by Steve Knutson on Unsplash

MAKING GOOD MONEY:

The mean household income in New Jersey was calculated to be $114,691

Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

PUBLIC SAFETY:

New Jersey scored 51.76 in public safety

Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

Here are the top 10 happiest states in the country, according to the survey:

10. Washington

Photo by Stephanie Bergeron on Unsplash

9. New York

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

8. New Hampshire

Photo by Suraj Gattani on Unsplash

7. Maryland

Photo by Robert Zunikoff on Unsplash

6. California

Photo by Julian Myles on Unsplash

5. Minnesota

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4. Massachusetts

Photo by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash

3. New Jersey

Photo credit: Shannon Holly (we look pretty happy right?)

2. Connecticut

Photo by Kimberly Earp on Unsplash

1. Hawaii

Photo by Michaela on Unsplash

Hawaii is super-expensive but you can't top the visual, can you?

So now we know who the happiest states in the country are but NiceRx also released a list of the unhappiest states. I'll have those for you tomorrow!

These are the 25 Best Places To Live in New Jersey

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in New Jersey using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.

Here Are The Richest Towns In Each State

Just saying the names of these towns immediately conjures up images of grand mansions, luxury cars, and ritzy restaurants. Read on to see which town in your home state took the title of the richest location and which place had the highest median income in the country. Who knows—your hometown might even be on this list.