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
Tennessee
Cheap in dollars, about average in work hours, but low in well-being.
Money index: 88.9 · 11% cheaper than the US average
What costs $100 nationally costs about $89 here.
Work hours index: 104.6 · 41.8 hrs/wk · About the same as the US average
A 40-hour US-average week costs about 41.8 hours of work here.
Psych: no data (CDC BRFSS, 2024)
Well-being index: 80.6 · 19% less well-being than the US average
Scores 41.22 across 30 happiness metrics, against a 50-state mean of 51.2 (WalletHub, 2025)
Average hourly wage: $31.79/hr (BLS CES, April 2026)
Source: MERIC, Q1 2026 · How Money is calculated