Hawaii May Not Be The Richest State, But It Is One Of The Happiest …The bad news: Hawaii has a large percentage of people living close to the edge. The good news: they tend to be happier here than their peers elsewhere.
Based on many measures, Hawaii hardly looks like an economic powerhouse.
With one of the nation’s highest costs of living and salaries and wages that just don’t keep up, the Aloha State has had the dubious distinction of being a national leader in population loss, year after year.
The state’s gross domestic product growth rate, which measures goods and services produced, has lagged that of other Western states. And according to one widely quoted study, more than four in 10 residents are struggling to get by financially.
But there’s one, often overlooked area where Hawaii does well: overall well-being, or, to put it simply, happiness.
