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
Maine
Expensive in dollars, in work hours, and in mental distress, but low in well-being.
Money index: 114.6 · 15% more expensive than the US average
What costs $100 nationally costs about $115 here.
Work hours index: 126.8 · 50.7 hrs/wk · 27% more work than the US average
A 40-hour US-average week costs about 50.7 hours of work here.
Psych index: 105.1 · 5% more mental distress than the US average
16.4% of adults report frequent mental distress (CDC BRFSS, 2024)
Well-being index: 93.1 · 7% less well-being than the US average
Scores 47.64 across 30 happiness metrics, against a 50-state mean of 51.2 (WalletHub, 2025)
Average hourly wage: $33.81/hr (BLS CES, April 2026)
Source: MERIC, Q1 2026 · How Money is calculated