US’ happiest shift workers sell weed and e-cigs: new report

They’re high on life.

America’s most cheerful hourly employees aren’t sitting behind a computer, it seems — they’re at the counter selling vapes, weed and smokes, according to a new report from workplace management platform Deputy.

Over 1.51 million end-of-shift survey responses paint a less-than-ideal picture of the state of the union for wage workers.

While the Net Happiness Score — the report’s metric for general workplace wellbeing — clocked in fairly high at 71.86%, it still took a tumble from 73% in 2024.

The happiest industry sector turned out to be e-cigarette and marijuana stores, with 91.87% of employees saying they feel “good” or “amazing” about their jobs.

They’re closely followed by caterers, baristas, dentists and those who work in gyms, firearms stores and sit-down restaurants.

Meanwhile, the unhappiest industry sector title went — surprisingly — to pharmacies, which only landed a 13.94% rating.

Next were people who work in postal services, animal health, doctors’ offices and other types of healthcare workers.

It’s an upset to the status quo that proves once again that money can’t buy happiness.

The report notes that the findings reflect “the ongoing strain on healthcare workers, who continue to shoulder high emotional and physical workloads in a post-pandemic environment marked by staffing shortages, unpredictable hours and regulatory pressure.”

The results also suggest that “improvements in flexibility, wage transparency and shift consistency may be helping” employers to “boost morale” in spite of “the well-documented
challenges of retail — such as long hours and customer-facing stress.”

All of which suggests that workplace camaraderie, clear goals and expectations and a sense of purpose can ultimately matter more when it comes to satisfaction than pay or prestige.

Notably, breaking the scores down by state reveals stark disparities — a gulf in America, if you will.

South Carolina, Virginia and Utah are performing well above the national satisfaction trend, thanks in part to strong investments in scheduling flexibility and supportive workplace cultures.

Conversely, North Dakota, New Mexico and Vermont scored much lower, due to economic pressure, understaffing and frustrations of feeling unheard and burnt out.