How happy do you feel, New York? Because we now have actual statistics to prove that people in Nebraska -- and Maryland, Louisiana, Iowa, West Virginia and eight other states -- are happier than you.
That's because the Cornhusker State (seriously? that's what they went with?) ranked number one in the nation on the new Happiness Index from MainStreet.com, while New York only came in 14th (hey, at least we're not Oregon, who came in dead last). The index -- a nod to the Misery Index of the 1970s -- looks at how each state is faring in the current economic crisis, suggesting that the fewer money troubles you have, the happier you'll be. Factors included in the calculation are household income, employment, personal debt and foreclosures.
The bad news: More than half the country is doing better than we are employment-wise. The not-so-bad news: We have fewer foreclosures than three-quarters of the nation. But the best news of all? Happiness or no happiness, we don't live in Nebraska.
Get all the numbers at MainStreet here.
Nebraskans, Iowans and W. Virginians Happier Than You
A new Happiness Index ranks New York as the 14th happiest in the nation
Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
