Self-reported life satisfaction in United States
United States: Self-reported life satisfaction was 6.82 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-reported life satisfaction in United States, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-reported life satisfaction in United States is 6.82, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-reported life satisfaction in United States peaked at 7.27 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.72, in 2024.
United States ranks 22nd of 157 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.04 | 6.89 | 7.27 | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.85 | 6.72 | 6.98 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 3,667 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score -0.1679 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 3,779 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 3.72 million (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 4.18 million (2025)
- Press freedom 2 (2016)
- Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" 37.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-reported life satisfaction in United States?
- Self-reported life satisfaction in United States was 6.82 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 7.27 in 2011.
- What is the lowest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.72 in 2024.
- How does United States rank for self-reported life satisfaction?
- United States ranks 22nd out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-reported life satisfaction rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Self-reported life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.