The South has some of the unhappiest employees in the US, study says. See where MS falls

Vacation time, annual wages, job satisfaction, weekly working hours and work environment.

All of these things and more contribute to the happiness of employees.

So, where do the happiest employees live and how do Southern states rank?

According to a study by Select Software Reviews , which used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Stats America, Mississippi is the 29th happiest state in the country, which isn’t half bad if you consider six of the bottom 10 are in the South.

That’s right, once you disregard those other pesky states, Mississippi is in the top 5.

The happiness scores of Southern states

1. West Virginia (ranked 12 overall; with a happiness score of 48.31)
2. Louisiana (21; 41.46)
3. North Carolina (28; 38.95)
4. Mississippi (29; 37.58)
5. Arkansas (32; 36.58)
6. Tennessee (37; 35.87)
7. Kentucky (39; 35.07)
8. Virginia (43; 33.89)
9. Alabama (45; 32.68)
10. South Carolina (46; 31.65)
11. Florida (48; 30.46)
12. Texas (49; 30.36)
13. Georgia (50; 29.62)

Why are Southern employees so unhappy?

Are Southerners less than pleased with their current job? Well, this study would say so. None of the 10 happiest states are south of the Mason Dixon.

The Select Software Reviews study found that employees in the South are dissatisfied with a number of factors on the job.

The study used a happiness index for working residents in each state. The index included annual wages, quit rates, injuries, commute times, PTO (paid time off) laws, weekly working hours and a general score for each of the 50 states.

The index points were then given a happiness score out of 100 and states were ranked 1 to 50 based on the score they received.

Mississippi ranked in the middle with a happiness score of 37.58, beating out states like Montana, New York and Nevada and falling just shy of Kansas, Missouri and North Carolina.

Georgia’s happiness score is, well, not a happy one.

Coming in last, with a ranking of 50, Georgia’s happiness score was 29.62 out of 100.

According to the study : “Georgia has the highest quit rate, 3.6%, of any contender, ranks poorly for general state happiness, and grapples with an average commute time of 28.7 minutes.”

Are people in other states satisfied with their jobs?

Georgia is not alone by any means when it comes to being unhappy on the job.

In fact, the study revealed that several other southern states have dissatisfied employees:

• Texas was ranked 49th on the list, with a happiness score of 30.36. The study attributed this to Texas’ workplace injury data and having the second-longest average workweek.

• Florida ranked 48th with a score of 30.46. This could be due to the state’s low average wages ($38,000/year) and a long workweek.

• South Carolina ranked 46th with a score of 31.65

• Alabama ranked 45th with a score of 32.68.

And surprisingly enough, no U.S. state made a happiness score above 70 out of 100.

The state that did score the highest for the most satisfied employees and therefore earned the top spot at number one in the ranking: Alaska with a happiness score of 69.96.

“Alaska has clinched the title as the state with the happiest employees, boasting shorter average work weeks of 31.3 hours, a generous average wage of $52,000 per annum,” according to the study.

Top 10 states with the happiest employees

1. Alaska
2. Rhode Island
3. North Dakota
4. Colorado
5. Minnesota
6. Nebraska
7. Maine
8. Ohio
9. Arizona
10. Indiana

The 10 states with the unhappiest employees

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. South Carolina
5. New York
6. Alabama
7. Pennsylvania
8. Virginia
9. New Jersey
10. New Mexico

Check out the full study and findings online.

Do the findings of this study surprise you? Comment below to let us know what you think or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com .

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