Massachusetts Terribly Unhappy; (Because?) More People Keep Coming Here

We recently ranked as the 43rd happiest state in the U.S., just shy of Rhode Island (42nd) and kicking the miserable asses of Connecticut and New York (49th and 50th, respectively). Notwithstanding our depression, possibly caused by a combination of terrible weather, high taxes, and crumbling transportation infrastructure, more people keep coming here: we added 50,000 folks to our ranks last year, growing 0.8% (compared to 0.9% for the U.S. as a whole) and coming in 25th out of all states. More than 250,000 residents left Mass for other states between 2000 and 2009, so our net gain of 24,518 international immigrants and 3,614 domestic movers (but not shakers) suggests we're starting to come back from that loss.