Sunshine is an under appreciated dimension when thinking about where to live. It can improve your health and happiness. Yet rarely do we hear people say they picked a state for its sunshine. They think more about weather temperature, jobs, taxes, cost of living etc. Sunny states generally qualify as Best States for Retirement and are Happy States according to recent happiness studies.
The Best States for Sunshine are Arizona and Nevada. Phoenix and Las Vegas each have 310 sunny days a year or 85% sunshine.
The Top 5 States for Sunshine, in addition to Arizona and Nevada, are California, New Mexico and Hawaii. Florida, the Sunshine State, is ranked 7th of all states.
The Worst State for Sunshine is Alaska with only 41% sunny days. Anchorage has only 150 days a year of sunshine half of Phoenix and Las Vegas.
The 5 Worst States for Sunshine are Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Vermont and Ohio. All 5 states have sun less than 50% of the time.
The List of Sunshine for all U.S. States is published below.
Rankings of Sunshine by State
If you are considering what are the Best States for Weather, study the Best States for Sunshine. You may just end up with happier choices.
