Why is Missouri so Low on the List of "Happiest" States?

Everyone wants to start the new year off happy, and healthy, so it is concerning to see that Missouri is ranked so low on the list of Happiest States in the US. If you look at the concerning data you can figure out why it was ranked so low...

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According to nicerx.com, Missouri is ranked the 38th Happiest State in the US, ahead of only a few other states like Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Nicerx.com used a number of different categories to come up with their overall "happiness" score, those categories include Mental Illnesses, Homicides, Life Expectancy, Household Incomes, Poverty Rates, and Safety. So why is Missouri so low on the list?

Missouri scored very poorly in a number of categories, 36th for Median Income, 39th for Life Expectancy, and worst of all 47th in Homicides per capita. To see the full list of happiest states just click here!

The happiest states according to their metrics are Hawaii, Connecticut, and Massachusettes. If I am being honest, I would much rather live in the Show-Me State of Missouri than in Connecticut or Massachusetts, obviously, Hawaii is a deserving number one. I think all of this data does matter for a part of the equation, but actually going to the states and seeing them should be a part of any happiness ranking in my opinion. Because Missouri has so much to offer, a great food culture, two large American cities, a brilliant college town with Mizzou, and some of the best outdoor activities in the US with the Lake of the Ozarks, what's there not to be happy with?

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.