Its famed for its nightlife, a vibrant music scene, spicy cuisine and the raucous costumed parades of Mardi Gras.
But the masks on revelers faces could well be covering up a sadness that blights Louisiana, new research shows.
The Pelican State has been ranked as the unhappiest in the United States by WalletHub, a personal finance website.
Researchers scored states on the quality of residents lives — including their careers, families, and rates of depression and suicide.
The unhappiness afflicting Louisiana extends across the South, researchers found.
A mother and daughter languish in Louisiana, where cancer-causing pollutants gave Asanta Mackey, then aged five, a persistent cough
Arkansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, and New Mexico rounded out the five unhappiest states in the nation.
Those looking for a more joyful existence should head — somewhat unsurprisingly — to Hawaii.
Residents of the Pacific archipelago benefit from low unemployment rates, decent average incomes, low rates of depression and the highest reported levels of life satisfaction in the US.
Of course, they also get year-round warm weather and access to some of the most beautiful beaches and vistas on the planet.
Maryland, New Jersey, Utah, and Delaware rounded out the top five happiest states in America.
Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said Hawaii and other high-scoring states made it easier for residents to achieve a good work-life balance and build stronger groups of family and friends around them.
The happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a wide variety of areas, said Lupo.
They have strong state economies and high quality physical and mental health care to adequate amounts of leisure time and good weather, he added.
For its survey, WalletHub gathered data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feeding America, and Gallup, among other sources.
They scored states on 30 key metrics, covering everything from rates of depression, to mental health, suicide, life expectancy, alcohol abuse, and even on whether people got a good nights sleep.
They also looked at careers, and how many hours residents worked, for how much pay, commute times, and whether jobs were stressful or they were likely to be laid off in the coming months.
Finally, they looked at weather, how much time residents spent on fun activities, and whether married couples stayed together.
Joe Moretz, who is homeless, sits with his dog Foxy by a boarded up store in the French Quarter of New Orleans, in another indicator of the states poverty levels
Sadly, the Mardi Gras costumed parade through New Orleans only comes once a year to raise the spirits of the states troubled residents
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hawaii ranked as the state with the most satisfied residents
Louisiana also ranks has having among the lowest income levels in the nation
Louisiana recorded among the worst scores across the board, including painfully long working hours, and miserably high rates of divorce.
The states 4.6 million residents regularly talk up its strengths — how New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and the fusion of flavors that makes Creole cuisine unique.
But they dont shy away from its chronic problems too — such as poisonous industrial pollution, crumbling infrastructure, and poverty.
Residents suffer 629 violent crimes per 100,000 people, 65 percent higher than the national average.
While Americans are relocating to Texas and other Southern states, Louisiana buck this trend with an outflow of people.
The state was readying on Tuesday for a likely battering from Tropical Storm Francine, which intensified in the southern Gulf of Mexico and is set to sweep north and strike as a dangerous Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday.
WalletHubs findings echo those from a recent Louisiana State University study, which found that most residents said the state was heading in the wrong direction.
Some 61 percent of residents said Louisiana was going downhill, with crime and education among their biggest concerns.
Michael Henderson, director of the survey, said it marked the third consecutive year in which residents had said life was getting worse there.
The survey results tell me this general feeling of unhappiness with where we are as a state is deeply embedded because of this extended period of time — an unprecedented three years — that this dissatisfaction has persisted, Henderson said.
Researchers polled 511 adult residents statewide via telephone about how they view their government and its policies, in March and April 23 this year.