The 10 Loneliest States This Holiday Season, According to Research

As holiday decorations go up and calendars fill with obligations, the season that’s supposed to feel warm and communal can land very differently for a lot of people.

Loneliness doesn’t take the winter off. In fact, research suggests it gets worse. While about 40 percent of American adults report feeling lonely at baseline, as reported by Nursa, that number climbs sharply during the holidays when expectations of togetherness collide with very real isolation.

The healthcare staffing platform Nursa released new data that looks into where loneliness is most likely to be felt over the holidays. They examined a mix of factors that usually accumulate during the winter months. The study weighed a variety of factors, like how many adults live alone, mental illness, and people reporting feeling socially isolated. They took these metrics and compiled a list of where the holidays may feel especially lonesome.

Top 10 States for Lonelieness This Holiday Season

Rank	State	Adults living alone (%)	Adults reporting feelings of social isolation or loneliness (%)	Adults with any mental illness (AMI) in the past year (%)	Internet usage penetration (%)	Festive Loneliness Score/10
1	West Virginia	29.9%	42.9%	29.33%	80.2%	7.96
2	North Dakota	33.2%	41.8%	23.53%	78.4%	7.71
3	Pennsylvania	30.2%	41.6%	24.39%	75.7%	7.56
4	Wyoming	30.8%	41.1%	24.89%	78.7%	7.52
5	New Mexico	31%	41.2%	24.88%	80.5%	7.35
6	Oregon	28.1%	44.7%	30.16%	87.4%	7.03
7	Washington	27.1%	43.3%	27.99%	83.9%	6.73
8	Alabama	30.8%	40.9%	22.09%	78.3%	6.68
9	Maine	29.9%	42.1%	25.76%	85.4%	6.60
10	New York	31%	37.9%	21.29%	76.4%	6.59

At the top of the list is West Virginia, which ranks as the loneliest state this holiday season. Nearly 30 percent of adults live alone, more than 42 percent report feeling lonely, and close to a third experienced mental illness in the past year. Internet usage is also lower than in many other states, which may limit opportunities for digital connection when in-person socializing is harder to come by.

Not too far behind falls North Dakota, where more than a third of adults live by themselves in a state so sparse it can make isolation feel inescapable. Pennsylvania rounds out the top three, with 30 percent of adults living alone, combining elevated mental illness rates with high reports of loneliness.

Other states in the top ten, including Wyoming, New Mexico, Oregon, and Maine, share similar patterns. Higher proportions of adults living alone and elevated reports of loneliness suggest that geography, population density, and access to support all play a role in how the holidays are experienced.

On the other end of the spectrum, some states appear to fare better during the holidays.

Top 10 States for “Social Well-Being” This Holiday Season

Rank	State	Adults living alone (%)	Adults reporting feelings of social isolation or loneliness (%)	Adults with any mental illness (AMI) in the past year (%)	Internet usage penetration (%)	Festive Loneliness Score/10
1	New Jersey	26.2%	37.9%	19.69%	85.3%	1.27
2	Maryland	27.9%	38.5%	22.29%	82.5%	2.74
3	Delaware	29%	36.5%	21.9%	81.7%	3.34
4	Minnesota	29.1%	38.4%	23.73%	86.8%	3.63
5	Hawaii	24.7%	39%	21.16%	79.2%	3.87
6	California	23.9%	41.3%	20.99%	81.2%	4.50
7	Kansas	30%	39.3%	23.72%	84.1%	4.54
8	New Hampshire	25.9%	37.9%	26.93%	84.4%	4.55
9	South Carolina	29%	41.1%	20.52%	81.3%	4.58
10	Idaho	24.2%	39.8%	26.72%	88.6%	4.62

The state that ranks as the least lonely in the study is New Jersey. While about a quarter of adults live alone, only 37.9 percent report feelings of social isolation, suggesting that living alone doesn't necessarily mean feeling lonely.

Maryland and Delaware also scored high marks, implying that strong local engagement and access to both social and online connections make a difference in someone’s life. This isn’t to suggest that these states are free from loneliness, but the numbers suggest residents might have more of a personal infrastructure to give themselves a buffer.

Nursa’s research doesn’t offer a cure, but it does underline something easy to overlook this time of year: loneliness is common, it’s unevenly distributed, and small gestures matter. A check-in, an invitation, or simply acknowledging that the holidays can be hard may not solve everything, but for someone on the other side of that quiet, it can make the season feel a little less empty.