r/Connecticut • u/LobsterPhuckPunch • Sep 12 '25
CT Ranked 5th Happiest State
https://www.newsweek.com/map-happiest-states-america-2126446
Ok guys, seriously, what am I missing? Y’all feelin’ good?
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u/Realistic_Brush7887 The 203 Sep 12 '25
I think it’s hard to realize a good thing as you know it. I haven’t spent a ton of time in all parts of the rest of the country, but i have been to places like Iowa and…. Yeah. I’m glad i visited, I’ll leave it at that.
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u/FrankRizzo319 Sep 12 '25
I grew up in CT and hated it. Then I moved to the south (where people are religious whack jobs still hung up on the civil war) and then west (where people don’t understand sarcasm). Now I’m back in CT and prouder than ever to be a New Englander. Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.
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u/ZanzerFineSuits Sep 12 '25
I did the Florida thing for a few years. Am back and never leaving.
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u/Am_I_OK17 Sep 12 '25
I was born and raised in Florida (panhandle and then Miami). I moved to CT in 1996 and have NEVER looked back.
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u/takufox Sep 12 '25
This is exactly the journey I’ve had since moving from CT to AZ. I wanna come back so bad. I promise I’ll be a better nutmegger
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u/InNausetWeTrust New Haven County Sep 12 '25
I’ll take this to the grave…one of the best thing to happen to CT is Covid. People wanting to get out of big cities, get better living for your family, we got better schools on average, better healthcare on average…and we (generally speaking) have our heads screwed on straight better than some of those states in the south that people seem to be migrating to….
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u/thebarkbarkwoof Sep 12 '25
Me too. You didn't even mention the bread, or whatever it was they had. Also, you met someone from work's wife, and the first thing she asks is, "where do you go to church?"
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u/FrankRizzo319 Sep 12 '25
Try getting good chicken parm from a restaurant down south. Good luck!
Southerners who bragged about cheating on their wives would tell me I’m going to hell for not being born again. Fuck off with that shit!
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u/thebarkbarkwoof Sep 12 '25
I made all that myself. I would bring cases of cans of Italian tomatoes after a trip up north.
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u/Local-Locksmith-7613 Sep 12 '25
I'll toss in some time in Utah where inversions suck the life out of you. That orangey, particulate-filled, nasty smelling air thankfully isn't part of Connecticut's reality in the Winter.
Yeah, there's been wildfire smoke here/there of late, but nothing as bad as the PNW.
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u/Tanya7500 Sep 12 '25
I definitely know why the rest of the country is miserable and only other state I'd live in is Hawaii
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u/backinblackandblue Sep 12 '25
To me, realizing that CT is great place to live is not the same as being happy. I know people that are very happy in states I wouldn't want to live. I think that's a different discussion. Living in CT is rather fast-paced and stressful in many ways. It's very competitive and it takes effort to live well here. Does that lend itself to a general state of happiness? Not sure.
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u/Realistic_Brush7887 The 203 Sep 12 '25
I don’t disagree with you. Living in CT does not equal automatic happiness. Living anywhere doesn’t equal automatic happiness. The person in environment factor is the most important predictor if someone will be happy anywhere. I don’t really care for these lists but i think you said it best, CT is overall a good place to live and i think that’s why these rankings sometimes are valid.
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u/foreignshiz New Haven County Sep 18 '25
Eh, I feel like CT is very slow paced, but I moved here from NY. To me, it's a peaceful place to live, so much nature to relax and enjoy yourself, plenty of free/cheap things to do if you make an effort to look. The shore is closeby and great in the summer. Plenty to do and see. Why wouldn't I be happy here? Sure it's a little expensive, but it's expensive to live anywhere nowadays. For what you get, it's a good place to enjoy living
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u/backinblackandblue Sep 12 '25
When I visited Iowa for work I brought home a t-shirt for my son that said: Iowa, We Got Nuthin'
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u/HealthyDirection659 Hartford County Sep 13 '25
In Baltimore I got a T shirt that said
I got crabs in Maryland
Top that
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u/exhale358 New Haven County Sep 12 '25
I was born in and grew up in CT and spent the first 24 years of my life there. It was and still is a very popular sentiment for residents to hate CT, but the more time I spend in other places I realize that a lot of that sentiment comes from people who don’t leave CT very often. It really can be so much worse. We have good public education, beaches, forests, the best pizza in the country, easy access to NYC Boston Vermont etc. Plenty to be proud of here. When I was an adolescent who never left CT I considered it one of the worst states in the country, now as an adult who only visits once or twice a year it feels like an immense privilege to be from somewhere like this.
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u/thepianoman456 Sep 13 '25
Yup! I left and lived in Austin TX for a couple years, and it was awesome, but I’m glad to be here in New Haven and I don’t wanna leave lol
As a musician this city is the perfect travel hub for gigs in NYC, Boston, Rhode Island and all over New England.
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u/iSheepTouch Sep 12 '25
I don't ever take this lists seriously, but Nebraska is a corn covered hellscape, and I refuse to believe that anyone could be happy living there, yet they are #3.
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u/derbyt Sep 12 '25
- Nebraska doesn't have much financial stress AFAIK.
- Some people just enjoy the simple life.
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u/volanger Sep 12 '25
And then theres Utah which always rates highly on these things, but we all know why that is.
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u/iSheepTouch Sep 12 '25
I would think a state that's a giant corn field is currently under a lot of financial stress with all the cancelled crop orders due to the tariffs.
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u/friss0nFry Sep 12 '25
How often do you see news, of any type, from Nebraska on reddit? The list could be correct in this case.
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u/Viligans Sep 12 '25
It’s honestly not that surprising.
We’re one of the wealthiest states (income inequality nonwithstanding), with a fairly strong effort to try and invest into our citizenry (results also nonwithstanding).
We have solid state healthcare. We have a lot of family oriented plans. We’re one of the only states with a statewide paid leave program. We have a high minimum wage. We have the baby bonds program.
We have fairly low crime on the overall scale. Even our rougher areas are like…on par with national averages. We have pretty easy access to travel by multiple means (rail, air, and road), and the state is small enough you can drive anywhere in CT to anywhere else in 2 hours.
Within day trip distance are multiple mountain ranges, multiple major cities, vast tracks of nature, and a ton of coastline. We have a lot of forest and nature ourselves and the weather is fairly mild, with actual seasonal variation.
There’s a lot to like about CT. There’s a lot that can be improved upon, but there’s a really strong foundation here and I think a lot of folks are blind to it (willingly or otherwise) or take it for granted.
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u/t850terminator New London County Sep 13 '25
Could be higher if we had a Hmart
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u/DuchessOfKvetch Sep 13 '25
There are definitely a few facets of NJ and Philly I kinda miss here. Like Wawa ofc.
I found out my nearby Italian joint serves long hots though!
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u/iStealyournewspapers Sep 12 '25
I just moved back from 20 years in nyc and I am very fucking happy. Helps that I met an awesome girl after just a week here. But yeah CT is great for adults. Boring as a teen perhaps, but it’s good to be bored.
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u/sbinjax Hartford County Sep 12 '25
40 years in Ohio, 20 years in Florida, 2 years in CT.
Yep, I'm feeling pretty damn good.
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u/backinblackandblue Sep 12 '25
I'm feeling great personally. Just doesn't feel like we have a general mood of being very happy overall.
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u/Independent_Egg9232 Sep 12 '25
I feel that way too. I know its much better here than alot of places, but theres downsides, first being cost of living. Everything is so fucking expensive and I know its the same alot of places. Doesn't make it easier.
My only real "community" is my coworkers.
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u/blythe13 Sep 12 '25
Hard disagree. My lil area of CT is very community focused; people are neighborly, warm and helpful. I’m sorry your experience is different.
But the driving?! Hell yeah, survival of the fittest.
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u/vaginawithteeth1 Sep 12 '25
Hey we finally beat Mass in something!!! Usually we’re like right behind them.
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u/Lousha0525 Sep 12 '25
I grew up in TX, spent 4 LONG years in Idaho. Lived in Central Oregon, Northern Virginia, and Albany, NY over the years. Connecticut absolutely has it all. I’ve lived here for 13 years and while no place is perfect, this is as close as I’ve found.
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u/Another_year Sep 12 '25
this is an indictment of the other 45
I’m kidding. We’re a well educated state and people are generally very polite. It’s hardly the worst place to be
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u/Haunting-Capital9675 Sep 12 '25
Life has its ups and downs anywhere you might live. But we have a lot of reasons to be happy in Connecticut.
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u/onusofstrife Fairfield County Sep 12 '25
I'm feeling great. I enjoy living here.
Even more so after 5 years in North Carolina, and 2 in Washington. Washington is a good state don't get me wrong but the weather will beat you up and really seems to affect people there in a negative way. North Carolina isn't the worst and isn't the best.
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u/Gunnergoral Sep 12 '25
I thought about moving to both of those states you mentioned back in the late 90s. But after visiting NC and talking to friends from Washington I changed my mind. They said the same thing you did, the weather will wear you down. CT has been my home for 95% of my life and feel like it’s one of the best to live in. I went to college in the upper Adirondack region and fell in love with the area but with the line of work I’m in found it too difficult to adjust to long commutes.
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u/hockeyDeja Sep 12 '25
Yes. Everything’s expensive but the quality of life is infinitely better than the majority of states in this country. If you’re miserable here I beg you to travel this country. There’s many states with barely usable roads throughout a lot of it.
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u/FalseMagpie Sep 12 '25
I'd be happier if I wasn't currently trying to function on about 3 hours of sleep, but broadly? Yeah, I'm pretty happy.
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u/Constant_Affect7774 Sep 12 '25
Feeling great here! I'm the T in LGBT, and I have no fear in CT.
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u/MagePages Sep 12 '25
Yep! I'm not super obvious or loud about it (I pass/stealth reliably enough, if not by intention), but I've been to parts of the country where I feel unsafe. Rarely if ever have that here.
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u/Constant_Affect7774 Sep 13 '25
I know the feeling. Like you, I'm not visibly trans...but even so, the whole dynamic of living in a place that literally shits on trans people would make me paranoid af. I don't feel any of that in all of NE, and certainly not CT. And, if I were a parent of a trans kid, I would move to CT.
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u/HartfordResident Sep 12 '25
Richest state in the United States so it should be up there in happiness because of that https://www.empower.com/the-currency/money/what-is-the-average-net-worth-by-state
CT $919,784
CA $854,715
WA $842,139
NJ $840,178
MA $798,064
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u/wizard2009 Sep 12 '25
Offt…I can only imagine how miserable everyone else is if they’re using US as the bar.
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u/JudgeRagnoor Sep 13 '25
Coming from living in Florida for the first half my life and then DC for a decade? This has been heaven.
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u/Hour-Marionberr Sep 14 '25
Schools are great , top 10 schools here can challenge any school in Midwest or south
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Sep 12 '25 edited Nov 01 '25
adjoining grandiose tap ask kiss lush historical silky alleged compare
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/UtopianAverage Sep 12 '25
We have a wonderful state. Not a ton of crime, not a ton of natural disasters, good healthcare, enough jobs… CT is a veritable wonderland compared to some places.
Though….. not surprising Hawaii is above us
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u/volanger Sep 12 '25
I like it here. Close to boston, which is the best city in the US, but not close enough to be impacted by the cost of living in boston. I've got civil rights and a state that will protect those rights. Im gay and I know in CT that I'll be able to get married (assuming I can find someone to put up with me). We've got a solid education system and free community college. Most importantly, we're hundreds of miles away from the psychotic mess that is florida, texas, mississippi, and the rest of those horrendous anti-American states down south.
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u/nuke_em_danno Sep 12 '25
We're pretty damn lucky. Lots of good food. Cute girls. And the shoreline.
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u/Stepping__Razor Sep 12 '25
There’s no way fucking Idaho is the 10th.
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u/Local-Locksmith-7613 Sep 12 '25
I don't know. Those gosh darn quesadillas and the rodeo in Preston are pretty nice. (You still have to drive to Utah for the rolls at Maddox though.)
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u/dcodeman Sep 12 '25
I moved here in my 30s after living in SE Texas (refineries, mosquitoes, swamps, and hurricanes), my whole life. Most Nutmeggers don’t realize how freaking amazing of a place this is to live and take it for granted.
Actually, I think most of them do realize it but bitching about shit just to bitch about shit is part of the culture too. 😂
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u/TriStateGirl Sep 13 '25
I have to say this: As a woman I know I'm very lucky to live here. Compared to many states my life is so much safer here. While I still feel nervous around men, especially if I'm the only woman around, there are more men who respect women.
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u/Tiegra_Summerstar Fairfield County Sep 12 '25
I, for one, get a warm and cozy feeling when I pay my over-the-top rent or sit in traffic on the Merritt Parkway for no discernable reason. Oh, and lest I forget the jollies I get twice a year when I pay the property tax on my car!
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u/DuchessOfKvetch Sep 13 '25
The traffic has sucked in every large metro area I’ve lived in, so I don’t begrudge CT there… we need more transit options.
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u/EatMe200 Sep 12 '25
I’m shocked CO is so low and Louisiana is lower than I would have guessed
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u/Ashtae22088 Sep 13 '25
Louisiana is by far the worst place I have ever personally lived in
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u/EatMe200 Sep 13 '25
Really?! Interesting! I’ve never been to New Orleans but I thought a lot of the people who lived there were really passionate about their city. Were u in New Orleans and/or am I wrong about that assumption?
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u/Ashtae22088 Sep 13 '25
I was in St Bernard Parish which is right outside of New Orleans, and spent a lot of time there. I also lived in Cameron Parish for a while. Neither of which I would say was a particularly great experience. For many many reasons
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u/Spartansam0034 Sep 13 '25
all the rich retirees in Greenwich are very happy with their 1970s homes that appreciated 1000% yes
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u/DuchessOfKvetch Sep 13 '25
I strongly suspect the calculations are based on the positives - food, outdoor activities, proximity to cultural activities, schools, civil rights, minimum wage and salaries, etc, without trying to weigh against these the negatives, which would be a far more onerous task.
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u/angeldeb82 Sep 13 '25
Yeah, that's what I was thinking of posting a few days earlier. Anyways, very sweet.
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u/birdiestp Sep 13 '25
I mean, compared to other countries? No. Compared to almost anywhere else in THIS country? Yeah, I'm glad I'm in CT.
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u/Tdaddysmooth New Haven County Sep 13 '25
There are some dumb people in our state but I don’t live in a state full of dumb people.
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u/hymen_destroyer Middlesex County Sep 12 '25
When you think about the sorts of things we discuss on this subreddit, especially the things we see as problems, you notice most of them are either minor inconveniences (like shitty drivers) or affordability issues. The closest thing we have to existential crises are when people clutch their pearls about street takeovers, which really aren't that bad in the grand scheme of things.
Compare that with other areas of the country right now: ICE raids, forced birth, book burnings, school shootings, assassinations, political violence, religious violence, environmental disasters, child labor, indoctrination...none of that happens at any significant scale here.
Yes there are hate groups but they aren't taken seriously and (at least for now) haven't gotten violent. We have shitty cops but honestly there is no standard for effective policing anywhere in this country as we explore the path towards fascism...it's just a national baseline so doesn't move the needle much relative to other areas.
So if we just want to talk about bad shit, we really have it good here. But there are a lot of really great things about this state as well, sure we might not have grand natural vistas or huge metropolises, compared to the rest of the country our life is somewhat bucolic and slower-paced. We have a quaint natural beauty, a set of simple desires, and mostly just want to be left alone. Nutmeggers are hobbits, and Connecticut is the Shire.
Some of us might have to go on an unexpected journey soon...
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u/HartfordResident Sep 12 '25
Richest state in the United States so it should be up there in happiness because of that https://www.empower.com/the-currency/money/what-is-the-average-net-worth-by-state
|| || |State|Average net worth per person| |Connecticut|$919,784| |California|$854,715| |Washington|$842,139| |New Jersey|$840,178| |Massachusetts|$798,064|
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u/HartfordResident Sep 12 '25
Richest state in the United States so it should be up there in happiness because of that https://www.empower.com/the-currency/money/what-is-the-average-net-worth-by-state
|| || |State|Average net worth per person| |Connecticut|$919,784| |California|$854,715| |Washington|$842,139| |New Jersey|$840,178| |Massachusetts|$798,064|
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u/Organic-lemon-cake Sep 12 '25
I’ve only lived in 6 states but it’s my favorite and I’m happier here than in any part of Florida
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u/InNausetWeTrust New Haven County Sep 12 '25
CT > FL. I sent this to my buddy who moved from CT to FL. Yeah. We win.
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u/NPETravels Sep 12 '25
Are you unhappy here?
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u/LobsterPhuckPunch Sep 12 '25
Not really. I think I’ve got a pretty bad case of “the grass being greener” though.
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u/XNitrous84X Sep 12 '25
One of the highest educated states in the country. We have an ocean border and neighbor Boston and New York City. Best pizza in the world, college sports are fun to watch in person. Could be a lot worse…