5 Unhappiest States in the US

4. Arkansas  

Happiness Score by WalletHub: 39.72

Arkansas is one of the unhappiest states in the US, with a total happiness score of only 39.72, and the highest rate of adult depression in the US. Arkansas has a population of over 3.67 million people but ranks pretty low on the emotional and well-being scale— mainly due to limited accessibility to healthy food, high poverty rates, and lack of public transportation. Arkansas is also one of the poorest states in the US, with 16.8% of people living below the poverty line. 

Arkansas scored 42 out of 100 on the work environment scale and 18 overall on the community and environment category, which, when visualized, means an extremely poor natural environment and a moderately poor work environment. A 2022 study by KIDS Count shows that Arkansas was one of the worst states for child well-being, with over 23% of children facing food insecurity.