And the No. 1 State for Well-Being Is ... [View all]
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/06/opinion/happiness-trust-americans-states.html
And the No. 1 State for Well-Being Is ...
June 6, 2026, 7:00 a.m. ET
Nicholas Kristof
A quiz question: Which state does best at ensuring the well-being of its citizens, giving them health, education and hope?
A major new study finds that the No. 1 state in terms of its residents quality of life is Minnesota. Yes, just-a-bit-boring Minnesota. Freezing Minnesota. Calm, pragmatic, not-very-ideological Minnesota.
The new study, released Saturday, comes from the State of the Nation Project, backed by a bipartisan group of experts. This years assessment is based on 31 measures and was created by scholars and by advisers to the last five presidents, including Donald Trump.
The top 10 states for well-being in the study, in order, are: Minnesota, New Hampshire, Iowa, Vermont, Massachusetts, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Utah.
California and New York rank in the middle. Florida and Texas are a bit below average.
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https://stateofnation.org/