Well-Being across America

Andrew J. Oswald; Stephen Wu

doi:10.1162/rest_a_00133

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Well-Being across America

Andrew J. Oswald¹; Stephen Wu²

¹ IZA - Institute of Labor Economics · ² Hamilton College

The Review of Economics and Statistics 2011

This paper uses Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to study life satisfaction and mental health across the geography of the United States. The analysis draws on a sample of 1.3 million citizens. Initially we control for people's personal characteristics (though not income). There is no correlation between states' regression-adjusted well-being and their GDP per capita. States like Louisiana, plus Washington, D.C., have high psychological well-being levels; California and West Virginia have low well-being. When we control for incomes, satisfaction with life is lower in richer states, just as compensating-differentials theory would predict. Nevertheless, some puzzles remain.

DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_00133
Volume: 93 (4)
Pages: 1118-1134
Language: en
Export: BibTeX
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