With GNHUSA

How is America doing?

Mic Check asks people across the United States the same plain questions it asks the rest of the world, every day. This page sets America against the world, then goes state by state and city by city. We make it with Gross National Happiness USA.

6.96
US happiness, 0–10
world 7.11 · #22 of 44 countries
GNHUSA with Gross National
Happiness USA

America against the world

mean on 0–10 · rank among listed countries
Happiness
6.96
-0.15 against the world's 7.11
#22 of 44 countries · 9,121 US answers
Life satisfaction
6.58
+0.08 against the world's 6.50
#8 of 18 countries · 1,700 US answers
Healthcare
7.33
+0.12 against the world's 7.21
#4 of 7 countries · 1,169 US answers
Happiness44 countries
🇦🇫 Afghanistan 5.4 🇺🇸 USA 7.0 🇲🇽 Mexico 7.9
Life satisfaction18 countries
🇺🇦 Ukraine 5.2 🇺🇸 USA 6.6 🇲🇽 Mexico 7.5
Healthcare7 countries
🇺🇸 USA 7.3 🇮🇳 India 8.0
456789
a country, mean on 0–10 thin, 30–99 answers United States world mean tap or hover a dot for its number

Where America ranks

the top five on each of 9 measures, and the US
8
different countries lead these 9 measures. Mexico leads 2 of them.
Happiness

Happiness

mean, rated 0 to 10 · 44 countries · 0–10
  1. 1Mexico 7.9
  2. 2Indonesia 7.9
  3. 3Saudi Arabiathin 7.9
  4. 4Sri Lankathin 7.8
  5. 5India 7.8
  6. 22United States 7.0

Most very happy

share at 9 or 10; ties go to the higher mean · 44 countries
  1. 1Saudi Arabiathin 44%
  2. 2India 41%
  3. 3Mexico 40%
  4. 4Indonesia 39%
  5. 5Sri Lankathin 38%
  6. 12United States 28%

Fewest unhappy

share at 0 to 2; ties go to the higher mean · 44 countries
  1. 1Sri Lankathin 0%
  2. 2Colombiathin 0%
  3. 3Vietnam 0%
  4. 4Ugandathin 0%
  5. 5Nepalthin 0%
  6. 37United States 6%
Life satisfaction, the Cantril ladder

Life satisfaction

mean, the Cantril ladder, 0 to 10 · 18 countries · 0–10
  1. 1Mexicothin 7.5
  2. 2Vietnamthin 7.2
  3. 3Philippinesthin 7.0
  4. 4India 6.9
  5. 5Brazil 6.9
  6. 8United States 6.6

Fewest in despair

share at 0 to 2; ties go to the higher mean · 18 countries
  1. 1Vietnamthin 0%
  2. 2Philippinesthin 0%
  3. 3Germanythin 0%
  4. 4Mexicothin 1%
  5. 5Brazil 3%
  6. 14United States 7%

Most hopeful

steps up the ladder people expect in five years · 18 countries
  1. 1Ukrainethin +2.5
  2. 2Nigeria +2.5
  3. 3Pakistan +2.1
  4. 4Bangladeshthin +2.0
  5. 5Indonesia +1.7
  6. 15United States +0.6
How people feel and function

Positive affect

feeling active, alert, inspired · 37 countries · 0–100
  1. 1Nigeria 77
  2. 2Ugandathin 75
  3. 3Philippines 75
  4. 4Mexico 74
  5. 5India 73
  6. 8United States 72

Calm

least often afraid, upset, nervous · 37 countries · 0–100
  1. 1Russia 31
  2. 2Germanythin 31
  3. 3Canadathin 31
  4. 4Ugandathin 33
  5. 5UKthin 33
  6. 7United States 34

Psychological wellbeing

purpose, growth, autonomy and more · 39 countries · 0–100
  1. 1Indonesia 86
  2. 2Ugandathin 86
  3. 3Nigeria 85
  4. 4Colombiathin 84
  5. 5Saudi Arabiathin 84
  6. 21United States 79

Countries with 30 or more answers on each measure. Life satisfaction is the Cantril ladder: people place their life on a ladder from 0, the worst possible life for them, to 10, the best; shares count the very top (9 or 10) or the very bottom (0 to 2) of a scale and break ties with the higher mean; most hopeful is how many steps up the ladder people expect to stand in five years, from the same people's answers now and later. Positive affect, calm and psychological wellbeing come from the world panel on 0 to 100: every answer at the bottom of the scale is 0, every answer at the top is 100; calm ranks the lowest negative feelings first. Unweighted. Thin means 30 to 99 answers.

Year by year

US means on 0–10, calendar years
Happiness
2024
6.94
2,238 answers
2025
6.95
6,617 answers
+0.01 within the margin
2026 so far
7.36
266 answers
+0.41 a clear change
Life satisfaction
2024
6.54
1,432 answers
2025
6.72
207 answers
+0.18 within the margin
2026 so far
6.95
61 answers · thin
+0.23 within the margin
Healthcare
2024
7.24
914 answers
2025 so far
7.62
255 answers
+0.38 a clear change

Unweighted US answers by the year they were given. A change is clear when it is bigger than the two years' margins of error together; years with fewer answers carry wider margins.

State by state

happiness · states with 30+ answers
Happiness, 0–10 5.0–5.85.8–6.66.6–7.47.4–8.28.2–9.0 thin, 30–99 fewer than 30 answers

42 of the 50 states and DC have 30 or more answers. States place people by the zip code they give; the numbers are unweighted. Tap or hover a state for its count.

Metro by metro

happiness · metros with 30+ answers
US metros80 metros
🇺🇸 Port Arthur 4.4 🇺🇸 Brookings 9.2
45678910
a metro, mean on 0–10 thin, 30–99 answers world mean tap or hover a dot for its number

Every metro on the happiness board →

US city censuses

life satisfaction (Cantril ladder) · weighted to each city
CityLife satisfactionResidents
Columbus 6.82 104
Houston 6.62 139
Chicago 6.61 1,313
Fremont 6.54 63
Los Angeles 6.40 143
New York City 6.23 144
Denver 5.82 94

World panel life satisfaction: 6.49

Each city census weights its sample to the city's own population, neighborhood by neighborhood. Anyone can fund a census for their own city.

Every city board →Fund your city →

Made with GNHUSA

how to support and join
GNHUSA logo

Gross National Happiness USA works to make wellbeing the measure of how the country is doing. Its volunteers walk the Happiness Walk across the United States, asking people what makes them happy.

Mic Check builds its wellbeing questions with GNHUSA. You can volunteer, give, or join the work near you.

Get involved → Donate Volunteer gnhusa.org

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