Does geography play a role in how happy – or unhappy – workers are? Sokanu – a “career discovery platform,” collected data from more than 250,000 workers across 250+ career paths and found that the US states with the happiest workers are:

1. Hawaii
2. West Virginia
3. Maine
4. Nevada
5. Kansas

On the flipside, the US states with the unhappiest workers are:

50. Vermont

49. Rhode Island

48. Washington

47. Pennsylvania

46. New Mexico

“The question of to what degree geography is a factor in career satisfaction is a fascinating one,” says Jørgen Hookham, UX designer, front-end engineer and project manager at Sokanu, which helps people find their ideal career based on their personality traits, interests and abilities. “Are there places in the world that simply have better philosophies or approaches that make our working lives better and more fulfilled?

“Why are people in Hawaii, West Virginia and Maine more satisfied with their careers? Is it better employers? Nicer weather? Why are unhappiness levels in Vermont and Rhode Island so high?”

Sokanu’s research also reveals the most and least satisfying careers.

The most satisfying careers are:

• Film director
• Athlete
• DJ
• Choreographer
• Video game designer

The least satisfying careers are:

• Debt collector
• Postal clerk
• Janitor
• Lab technician
• Telemarketer

“It’s clear that creative roles or ones that fulfil dreams - such as competing in the Olympics or making feature-length movies - are linked to much higher levels of satisfaction than other jobs,” says Hookham. “But everyone should be able to think big when it comes to work. That’s why we’d encourage anyone thinking of switching careers to take our Career Test. The results might surprise you.”

About Sokanu

Launched in 2013, Sokanu’s mission is to fundamentally change the way people prepare for the workforce by helping them to find the career that is right for them and the unique path to getting there. Learn more at: https://www.sokanu.com/.