10 Happiest (Least Depressed) States in America

There is a very strong relationship between depression, mental disease, substance abuse and suicide rates. Insider Monkey believes action speaks louder than words. There are several surveys ranking participants’ happiness and satisfaction and ranking the results by state and country. Using survey data on overall evaluation of life, job satisfaction, emotional and physical health, and whether a person smokes or exercises, a recent survey ranked Utah, Hawaii, Wyoming, Colorado, and Minnesota as the happiest states in America.  We disagree. Wyoming has the third highest suicide rate in America. Colorado has the sixth highest suicide rate, and Utah is the ninth most suicidal state in America (See 10 States with the highest suicide rates). Again, action speaks louder than words. We believe suicide rates is a better variable to measure happiness than asking people whether they are happy or not.

Based on National Center for Health Statistics calculations, here are the least depressed and happiest states in America:

10. California: 9.8 suicides per 100,000 residents

9. Hawaii: 9.7 suicides per 100,000 residents

8. Maryland: 9 suicides per 100,000 residents

7.  Rhode Island: 8.7 suicides per 100,000 residents

6. Illinois: 8.5 suicides per 100,000 residents

5. Massachusetts: 7.6 suicides per 100,000 residents

4. Connecticut: 7.4 suicides per 100,000 residents

3. New York: 7 suicides per 100,000 residents

2. New Jersey: 6.7 suicides per 100,000 residents

1. District of Columbia: 5.8 suicides per 100,000 residents

Interestingly, these are mostly democratic leaning and wealthy states. Except Rhode Island and Illinois, all of these states are among the top 10 wealthiest states in America.  Insider Monkey, your source for free insider trading data, follows what insiders do, not what they say.