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
Connecticut
Expensive in dollars and in work hours, cheap in mental distress, but high in well-being.
Money index: 114.2 · 14% more expensive than the US average
What costs $100 nationally costs about $114 here.
Work hours index: 106.2 · 42.5 hrs/wk · 6% more work than the US average
A 40-hour US-average week costs about 42.5 hours of work here.
Psych index: 89.1 · 11% less mental distress than the US average
13.9% of adults report frequent mental distress (CDC BRFSS, 2024)
Well-being index: 122.2 · 22% more well-being than the US average
Scores 62.53 across 30 happiness metrics, against a 50-state mean of 51.2 (WalletHub, 2025)
Average hourly wage: $40.22/hr (BLS CES, April 2026)
Source: MERIC, Q1 2026 · How Money is calculated