Minimum Salary You Need To Be Happy in Every State

Can money buy happiness? According to a recent Purdue study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, income can correlate with emotional well-being and life satisfaction.

“Globally, we find that satiation occurs at $95,000 for life evaluation and $60,000 to $75,000 for emotional well-being,” said the study’s authors in the journal. However, the study also found that the ideal income for life satisfaction in North America is $105,000, as reported by Inc.

To estimate how much money you might need to be satisfied or happy in every U.S. state, GOBankingRates factored in each state’s cost-of-living index and used the $105,000 figure as the “benchmark.” The states were ranked from least to most amount of money needed to be happy. GOBankingRates also included unemployment and crime rates for many states for informational purposes.

Keep reading to find out how much it takes to be happy in your state. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that “happiness” is subjective, and the cost to live comfortably can vary from person to person.

Last updated: July 3, 2020

Mississippi

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $88,935

If you love living in Mississippi, lucky you! The state’s low cost of living means you can stretch your paycheck that much farther. And while nearly $90,000 is a lot more than most Mississippians earn in a year, the range the study sets for “emotional well-being” goes as low as about $50,000 a year in the birthplace of the blues.

Kansas

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $90,825

Kansas’ salary to be happy is nearly $15,000 a year below the rate quoted for North America as a whole, representing a cost of living that’s nearly 15% below the national average.

Oklahoma

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $91,035

Oklahoma’s low cost of living is likely going to be even more welcome than usual given the current unemployment rate shows that 1 out of every 8 working Sooners is currently out of a job.

New Mexico

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $91,560

Being able to stretch your paycheck farther than most of the rest of the country has got to make life easier for all New Mexicans — even those making well under $90,000 a year. However, residents’ happiness levels could be limited by the high rates of violent and property crime.

Arkansas

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $92,610

That $92,610 might seem out of reach for many Arkansans, but it’s notable that a range of $52,920 to $66,150 would get you to the “emotional well-being” stage described in the Purdue study.

Missouri

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $92,715

The “life evaluation” stage — in which you feel comfortable about providing for your basic needs and start considering other, bigger questions — would come at a more attainable $83,885 in the Show-Me State.

Indiana

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $93,975

Hoosiers have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic with the unemployment rate sitting at 12.3%, so plenty of people right now are probably more focused on simply receiving a paycheck than its size. However, Indiana’s low crime rates should help residents manage the crisis just a little easier.

Related: 35 Cities Where You Can Afford To Live on Less Than $50,000

Alabama

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $94,080

If you’re looking at a figure of $94,080 and thinking it’s just not realistic in the Yellowhammer State, you should know that the study’s band of incomes allowing for “emotional well-being” runs as low as $53,760.

Illinois

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $94,185

Illinois’ current unemployment rate hovers north of 15%, suggesting that a lot of people there are currently focused on making ends meet for the present. On the whole, residents must be thankful for a basic cost of living that’s approximately 10% below the national average.

Georgia

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $94,500

Not only can Georgians claim to have one of the most attainable levels of income to be happy, they also live in one of the states that’s lucky enough to still be showing an unemployment rate below 10%.

Tennessee

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $94,500

Tennessee’s cost of living is 10% below the national average, but its crime rates are higher — potentially making happiness that much harder to attain. The state sees 6.24 violent crimes and 28.25 property crimes per 1,000 residents.

Michigan

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $94,605

The Great Lake State is also the great cost of living state for many. However, it has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus and over 1 in 5 Michiganders is currently unemployed.

Iowa

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $95,970

Iowans can enjoy lower costs than the nation on the whole as well as much lower crime rates. As such, Hawkeyes earning less than $96,000 a year have plenty of reasons to enjoy life.

Texas

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $96,285

Residents of the Longhorn State are fond of saying “everything’s big in Texas,” but that definitely doesn’t include prices. The cost of living there is approximately 8% below the national average.

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Ohio

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $96,705

With 13.7% of the Buckeye State left unemployed in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, concerns about reaching an income level that can secure rent every month is likely more on the minds than one that will secure happiness.

West Virginia

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $97,020

While more than 1 in 8 West Virginians is unemployed at the moment, the state does have an especially low rate of property crime going for it. There are just under 15 a year for every 1,000 residents.

Nebraska

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $97,440

Nebraska’s normally low cost of living is looking even better right now as its unemployment rate continues to lag way behind the rest of the country. Sitting at just 5.2%, it’s the lowest in the country.

Louisiana

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $98,175

One thing that likely makes it harder to be happy in Louisiana would be the nation’s third-highest property crime rate. There are nearly 33 such incidents each year for every 1,000 people living there.

Kentucky

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $98,910

Kentucky’s relatively low cost of living is paired with its very low rates of crime. There’s just over two violent crimes for every 1,000 Kentuckians each year, and just under 20 property crimes.

Idaho

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $99,015

The people of Idaho certainly don’t think of $99,000 as small potatoes, but even those earning less than that can enjoy some of the lowest rates of violent crime and property crime in the country.

Wyoming

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $99,225

Wyoming has hardly come through this crisis unscathed; an 8.8% unemployment rate would have been considered a disaster as recently as February. However, the nationwide economic pain means that it’s also the second-lowest such rate in the country.

North Carolina

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $100,275

Making $100,000 a year is often considered a long-term goal for many Americans, and that could be reinforced by the conclusions of the Purdue study. North Carolina represents the first state where you need to make at least $100,000 a year to be happy, but 27 others similarly call for a six-figure income to be happy.

South Carolina

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $100,275

North and South Carolina have virtually identical costs of living, so there’s no difference in what it takes to be happy between them. However, South Carolinians are victim to far more property crime as 1 of just 4 states with more than 30 such incidents per 1,000 residents.

Wisconsin

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $100,485

Plenty in the Badger State might view a salary of over $100,000 outside of what they can expect from their career, but that doesn’t mean they’re doomed to a life of being overworked. For a state of “emotional well-being,” anywhere from $57,420 to $71,775 will suffice.

North Dakota

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $101,325

One of those lucky states where unemployment has remained below 10%, North Dakotans are still looking at a considerable sum to reach happiness as defined by the Purdue study.

Utah

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $101,745

While that six-figure income might leave some Utahans feeling a little intimidated, it should be noted the state has a lot going for it — like comparatively low rates of unemployment and violent crime.

Florida

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $104,160

While happiness might seem extra attainable in the Sunshine State, that hasn’t been the case for many Floridians of late. The surge of unemployment started by the pandemic has unemployment at 14.5% based on the most recent data.

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South Dakota

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $104,685

South Dakotans can expect an easier time than most of the country when it comes to property crime. The rate of 17.29 crimes per 1,000 residents each year is among the nation’s lowest.

Arizona

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $105,105

Arizona is just a tenth of a percent higher than the national average for cost of living, making it a great way to get a sense of costs for the typical American. The state’s 8.9% unemployment rate is well below the rest of the country right now.

Minnesota

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $106,260

One thing that’s likely to help improve the happiness of Minnesotans of all incomes is the relatively low rate of violent and property crime, with rates of just 2.2 and 19.94 per 1,000 residents, respectively.

Virginia

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $106,470

Virginia boasts the third-lowest violent crime rate in the country, and the relative peace of mind that can come with a firm sense of safety is hard to put a price on. However, in terms of cost of living alone, the state’s just a bit costlier than the rest of the country.

Colorado

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $108,360

Colorado is higher than the norm both in terms of cost of living and its rate of property crimes per 1,000 residents, but you can still expect to find “emotional well-being” in an income range of $61,920 to $77,400.

See: What a $100K Salary Looks Like After Taxes in Your State

Pennsylvania

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $108,360

Pennsylvania’s economy appears to be getting hit harder than many others, with an unemployment rate of 13.1%. However, the most recent data on its property crime rate shows them to be among the nation’s lowest.

Delaware

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $113,085

Delaware has been hit hard by the pandemic; its unemployment rate of 15.8% exceeds the national average. So, while $113,085 a year likely seemed out of reach for most residents in good times, those recently out of work are probably focused on more immediate needs at the moment.

New Hampshire

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $113,400

Cost of living is high throughout New England, and New Hampshire is no exception, with residents paying 8% more than the national average. But the high cost to live here correlates with the state’s safety. New Hampshire has extremely low crime rates — it’s 1 of just 3 states with fewer than 2 violent crimes annually per 1,000 residents.

Montana

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $113,610

While the cost of living in Montana is higher than the nation as a whole, it might not be felt as hard there at the moment. Montana’s unemployment rate of 9% is well below the national rate.

Nevada

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $114,240

With its strong association with the hospitality industry, Nevada has been hit hardest by the pandemic. It has the nation’s highest unemployment rate at 25.3% — meaning 1 in 4 Nevadans is currently out of work.

See: How To File for Unemployment and What To Do After Losing Your Job

Washington

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $117,810

Washington’s high rate of property crime might be tested as unemployment is also higher than the national average, potentially thrusting some people into difficult straits.

Maine

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $120,960

Maine represents the nation’s safest state, with just 1.12 violent crimes annually per 1,000 residents. However, living here isn’t cheap, with a cost of living that is 15% over the national average.

Vermont

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $122,535

The third and final state boasting a violent crime rate below 2 per every 1,000 residents, Vermont also has the nation’s third-lowest rate for property crime at 12.83 a year per 1,000 residents.

Rhode Island

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $124,530

Rhode Island is one more New England state where it costs a lot to get by, but the crime rates are very low. The cost of living is 18.6% higher than the national average, but there are just 2.19 violent crimes and 16.61 property crimes per 1,000 residents each year.

New Jersey

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $128,520

The Garden State might have some of the lowest crime rates in the country, but it’s also coming at a high cost of living. And that can’t be easy to bear right now, with an unemployment rate over 15%.

Also See: These States Have the Best Chance To Bounce Back From the Coronavirus Unemployment Tsunami

Connecticut

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $130,410

While neighboring Rhode Island has been hit especially hard by the pandemic — with an unemployment rate of 16.3% — Connecticut appears to have avoided some of the worst of it. Unemployment there remains below 10%.

Maryland

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $134,400

Maryland’s lucky enough to see unemployment rates below 10% right now, especially with a cost of living 28% higher than the national average. All told, the cost to be happy runs nearly $135,000 a year.

Alaska

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $134,820

The crime rates in Alaska are among the highest in the country. It has the highest rate of violent crime at 8.85 a year per 1,000 residents, and the second-highest property crime rates at 33 a year per 1,000 residents.

Massachusetts

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $136,185

While all of New England has a combination of relatively low crime and high costs, the pandemic doesn’t appear to have caused unemployment rates to rise evenly. Massachusetts has been hit hard, though, with 16.3% of residents currently out of work.

Damage Report: Coronavirus’ Effect on Employment in Every State

Oregon

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $141,015

The cost of living is more than a full third higher than the national average. So while the unemployment rate right now of 14.2% is just under a percentage point higher than the national rate, being out of work there is likely a much more difficult proposition than in other parts of the country.

California

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $149,835

California’s notoriously high cost of living is on display here, with just a hair under $150,000 a year being needed to secure happiness. And that might be all the harder for many Californians: unemployment is at a staggering 16.3%.

New York

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $163,695

The Empire State comes with some empire-sized costs of living, with the average New York resident shelling out 55.9% more than the national average. And with an unemployment rate that’s exceeding the national average, times are tough for a lot of New Yorkers right now.

Hawaii

• Minimum salary needed to be happy: $207,480

The cost of living in Hawaii is just under double that of the rest of the country, making it especially costly to be happy there. You’ll need to plan on earning over $200,000 a year to reach that state of bliss in the Aloha State.

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Alexandria Bova contributed to the reporting of this article.

About the Author

Joel Anderson

Joel Anderson is a business and finance writer with over a decade of experience writing about the wide world of finance. Based in Los Angeles, he specializes in writing about the financial markets, stocks, macroeconomic concepts and focuses on helping make complex financial concepts digestible for the retail investor.

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