Idaho Ranks #3 for Best Work Environment in America

While Utah, 2023’s happiest state, lost to Hawaii in WalletHub’s 2024 Happiest States in America rankings, it maintained its reign atop the work environment and community and environment categories.

While Utah, 2023’s happiest state, lost to Hawaii in WalletHub’s 2024 Happiest States in America rankings, it maintained its reign atop the work environment and community and environment categories.
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Utah isn’t just the birthplace of JW Marriott, land of “America’s First Department Store,” and the unlikely launchpad of Kentucky Fried Chicken (yes, you read that correctly). The Beehive State also has the nation’s best work environment, according to WalletHub rankings released Monday.

As its name suggests, the personal finance company’s annual Happiest States in America list measures merriment in each of the 50 states. But WalletHub gauged happiness using 30 metrics across three categories: physical and emotional well-being, whose metrics included sleep adequacy and sports participation; community and environment, whose metrics included leisure time and ideal weather; and work environment, whose metrics included job security and median credit score.

While Utah, 2023’s happiest state, lost to Hawaii this year in the overall rankings, it maintained its reign atop the work environment and community and environment categories. West Virginia, ranked last year’s worst work environment, remained at the bottom of the list this time around.

Work environment included these metrics:

Scores for all metrics weren’t made public, but Utah notably had the fewest work hours, and tied with Alabama and North Dakota for the third-lowest long-term unemployment rate.

Among the secrets to a satisfying career is finding work that uses your unique skills and creates value for someone else, according to Jo Jorgensen, PhD, a principal lecturer in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences at Clemson University in South Carolina.

“If you do not have your dream job yet and you are watching the clock and waiting for your workday to end, keep looking for the right job,” Jorgensen said in a news release about the rankings. “Even in prestigious careers, many people are just treading water, focused on watching the calendar for the next vacation or promotion or pay bump. To really enjoy your life, aim for a calling.

“The difference is a focus on helping others or finding meaning in your work, rather than being focused on yourself. It is corny, but yes, if you love your work, working for your whole life can be more than just bearable—it can be rewarding.”

10 states with best work environments

1. Utah (same as 2023)
2. Vermont (up from No. 10)
3. Idaho (up from No. 6)
4. Minnesota (down from No. 3)
5. Massachusetts (up from No. 16)
6. Montana (down from No. 2)
7. Nebraska (same as 2023)
8. Rhode Island (up from No. 12)
9. New Hampshire (up from No. 19)
10. Maryland (down from No. 4)

10 states with worst work environments

50. West Virginia (same as 2023)
49. Louisiana (same as 2023)
48. Alaska (same as 2023)
47. New Mexico (down from No. 45)
46. Kentucky (down from No. 41)
45. California (down from No. 34)
44. Nevada (up from No. 46)
43. Arkansas (down from No. 42)
42. New York (down from No. 39)
41. Indiana (down from No. 27)

In its 2024 Happiest States in America rankings, personal finance company WalletHub assessed the 50 states, excluding the District of Columbia, across 30 metrics encompassing social, physical, economic, and emotional health. Hover over the map below to explore how each state performed in work environment and other categories.

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