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
District of Columbia
Expensive in dollars, but cheap in work hours and in mental distress.
Money index: 134.3 · 34% more expensive than the US average
What costs $100 nationally costs about $134 here.
Work hours index: 87.5 · 35.0 hrs/wk · 12% less work than the US average
A 40-hour US-average week costs about 35.0 hours of work here.
Psych index: 85.3 · 15% less mental distress than the US average
13.3% of adults report frequent mental distress (CDC BRFSS, 2024)
Well-being: no data (WalletHub, 2025)
Average hourly wage: $57.39/hr (BLS CES, April 2026)
Source: MERIC, Q1 2026 · How Money is calculated