Life Satisfaction & Healthy Days

About

This page provides data on life satisfaction and daily experiences of physical and mental health for U.S. youth and adults. Data come from surveys that represent youth and adults at the state and national level and are available by age, sex, and race and ethnicity for recent years.
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What to know

  • The majority of U.S. adults report satisfaction with their lives. Life satisfaction is defined as "the extent to which a person finds life rich, meaningful, full, or of high quality."1
  • However, daily experiences of poor mental health are common among youth and adults.
  • Physical and mental health are closely related and can influence one another. Taking care of physical health may improve aspects of mental health and vice versa. Taking steps to improve both physical and mental health can improve overall well-being.
  • Many factors influence both physical and mental health, including one's environment, stressors, family and social relationships, coping skills, and health care access. Improving the conditions where we live, learn, work, and play can make a difference in people's health.

Adult life satisfaction data

Measuring life satisfaction

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The Overall Health and Well-Being Measures within Healthy People 2030 is a governmental effort to track population well-being, healthy life expectancy, and summary mortality and health in the U.S.

National: Adult life satisfaction

Most recent 2023 data show 96% of U.S. adults were very satisfied or satisfied with their lives.

By state: Adult life satisfaction

Percentage of U.S. adults by state or territory who were very satisfied or satisfied with their lives.

Youth mental health status data

National & by state: Youth reporting poor mental health

Most recent 2023 data show 29% or 1 in 3 U.S. high school students reported their mental health was not good most of the time or always during the past 30 days. Poor mental health included stress, anxiety, and depression. The percentage did not statistically differ from 2021 to 2023.

Preventing adverse childhood experiences

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Preventing childhood adversity could reduce suicide attempts and symptoms of depression among high school students.2CDC's VetoViolence offers educational tools and trainings to help prevent early adversity and create positive childhood experiences.

Adult physical health and mental health status data

By state: Adults reporting poor physical health

Percentage of adults by U.S. state or territory who reported that their physical health, including physical illness and injury, was not good for 14 or more days during the past 30 days.

By state: Adults reporting poor mental health

Percentage of adults by U.S. state or territory who reported that their mental health, including stress, depression, and problems with emotions, was not good for 14 or more days during the past 30 days.

These percentages are ranked and classified into four groups: 0-25th percentile, 26-50th percentile, 51-75th percentile, and 76-100th percentile. The percentiles allow for comparison between states or territories.

Mental health of people with disabilities

Text saying adults with disabilities report experiencing mental distress almost 5 times as often as adults without disabilities.

Adults with disabilities report experiencing mental distress almost 5 times as often as adults without disabilities.3 To address this, CDC funds programs such as the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability and Special Olympics.

By state: Adults unable to participate in usual activities due to health

Percentage of adults by U.S. state or territory who reported that poor physical or mental health kept them from usual activities such as self-care, work, or recreation during the past 30 days.

Well-being at work

People in workplace

Workplaces can influence our physical and mental well-being. CDC's Fundamentals of Total Worker Health® holistic approach includes hazard control, healthy leadership, and community support. The associated workbook offers employers, workers, and labor representatives a practical starting point.

Notice

CI = Confidence interval of 95% indicates that 95% of the time, the value is expected to fall within this estimated range.

For statistical tests used, refer to data notes.

Explore original data source tools

Design elements from data systems
CDC supports national and state level data systems to help us understand mental health in the U.S. This page features data excerpted from select systems.
Keep Reading: Mental Health Data Sources

Resources

Ready to take action?

CDC promotes a population health approach that addresses the drivers of well-being and mental distress. Individuals, organizations, and communities can adopt strategies to promote well-being and prevent mental health conditions before they develop or worsen.

Resources for Population Mental Health
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Content Source:
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
  1. American Psychological Association. (2022). APA Dictionary of Psychology - Life Satisfaction. https://dictionary.apa.org/life-satisfaction
  2. Swedo, E.A., Pampati, S., Anderson, K.N., et al. (2024). Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Conditions and Risk Behaviors Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Suppl 73(4), 39–49. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7304a5
  3. Cree, R.A., Okoro, C.A., Zack, M.M., Carbone, E. (2020). Frequent Mental Distress Among Adults by Disability Status, Disability Type, and Selected Characteristics – United States 2018. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69(36);1238–1243. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6936a2