WalletHub ranks North Carolina among top 15 happiest states in U.S.

A new study on happiness levels across all 50 U.S. states found that North Carolina had one of the highest scores.

WalletHub is a personal finance company that provides consumers with tools to improve credit

scores, compare credit card offers and personal loans and gain a "holistic picture" of their financial health. The company also conducts studies, including recent studies covered by the Citizen Times measured how gambling-addicted the state was, ranked the 50 states from most to least stressed, chose the best states for drivers and more.

In order to determine happiness rankings, WalletHub compared each state across three key metrics. States were ranked based on total scores out of 100 possible points across these metrics.

Factors included emotional and physical well being including share of adult depression, physical health index, adequate sleep rate and more (50 points); work environment including current unemployment rate, number of work hours, commute time and more (25 points); and community and environment including volunteer rate, ideal weather, average leisure time spent per day and more (25 points).

Here's how North Carolina ranked across these metrics, plus the happiest and unhappiest states according to WalletHub's 2026 ranking and more.

Is North Carolina a happy state?

Source: WalletHub

WalletHub ranked North Carolina among the happiest states in the nation, placing it at No. 14.

The Tar Heel State scored a total of 56.77 out of 100 possible points, and ranked No. 15 for emotional and physical well-being; No. 21 for work environment; and No. 15 for community and environment.