United States
What each state charges — in dollars, in work hours, and in mental distress — and what it gives back in well-being, against the US average (100).
Ranked by Money · lighter burden first
Alabama
Cheap in dollars, about average in work hours, expensive in mental distress, but low in well-being.
Money index: 85.0 · 15% cheaper than the US average
What costs $100 nationally costs about $85 here.
Work hours index: 97.8 · 39.1 hrs/wk · About the same as the US average
A 40-hour US-average week costs about 39.1 hours of work here.
Psych index: 115.4 · 15% more mental distress than the US average
18% of adults report frequent mental distress (CDC BRFSS, 2024)
Well-being index: 79.5 · 20% less well-being than the US average
Scores 40.69 across 30 happiness metrics, against a 50-state mean of 51.2 (WalletHub, 2025)
Average hourly wage: $32.53/hr (BLS CES, April 2026)
Source: MERIC, Q1 2026 · How Money is calculated