New Study Finds Illinois is the 2nd Happiest State in the U.S.

A new study has found that Illinois is one of the happiest states in the nation, and we can't help but wonder why.

Illinois Smack Talk

One of my greatest pet peeves is hearing people constantly complaining about Illinois, yet they still live here. If you hate it THAT BAD, just move a bit North to Wisconsin...you won't even have to quit your job or change your life much.

In all seriousness, I don't enjoy talking smack about my home state, but the results of a recent study are making it really hard to keep my mouth shut.

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Illinois is the 2nd Happiest State in the Nation?

A website called Scholaroo, which helps students find their dream scholarships, recently conducted a study to find the happiest states in the U.S. The study used 54 different metrics to compare all 50 states, and the metrics were broken down into 7 different categories including;

Personal Finance
Leisure activities
Mental Health
Physical Health
Employment
Personal relationships
Social policies

After considering all those metrics in regard to Illinois, Scholaroo was able to determine Illinois residents are some of the happiest in the United States. Seriously, it's true.

Scholaroo.com

For overall happiness, Illinois came in at number 2, right behind Massachusetts which came in at number one for the happiest states in the nation. Nicely done, Illinois!

Here's where Illinois fell in all seven categories;

#6 for employment
#3 for leisure activities
#3 for mental health
#23 for personal finance
#29 for personal relationships
#5 for social policies
#17 for physical health

I guess we can't really argue with decent marks like that. I'm sorry for doubting you, Illinois. I won't do it again.

RELATED: 5 of the Most Mispronounced Towns in Illinois

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in Illinois

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Illinois using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.