Illinois Was Named One Of The Happiest States In The Country And Now We Don’t Know What To Believe Anymore

Any time you read anything about Illinois, it's always negative.

So when this news broke earlier today, it had me confused. I've never had much of an issue with Illinois, I actually kind of like it.

But when I read the following report it had me wondering what is real and what is fantasy.

According to Zippia, Illinois is the 6th happiest state in the U.S., saying "The economy here is healthy, residents are well educated, and now we see, also some of the happiest in the country—at least according to these criteria."

So which is it? I hear of incredible wage taxes, strange soda taxes and stories of a poor education system throughout the state.

Well, it might have something to do with how Zippia measured the happiness of the Land of Lincoln.

Using seven different metrics:

• Higher Education
• Employment rate
• Short commute
• Low Cost of living
• Owning a home
• Having a family
• Lower poverty rate

Zippia figured all seven categories out, then divided them up to come up with index scores, and somehow, some way, Illinois scored very well.

"Illinois makes the list mostly for scoring well in...pretty much every category," says the report.

Maybe this is the kind of thing that will help Illinois residents who have been leaving by the truckload a reason to stay.

You see, we ARE happy. Based on how positive those Illinois numbers and percentages are, it's safe to say I'm not the only one who doesn't mind living here.

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Sweet Lenny is the brand manager of 97ZOK and Operations Manager for Townsquare Media Rockford. Catch him afternoons 3 to 7 on 97ZOK. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and like his page on Facebook.