So to see where Americans practice the best money habits, WalletHub's analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 23 key metrics in four key dimensions that address residents' financial savvy or the lack thereof.

In the categories of debt and spending, financial literacy, credit and saving, those 23 datasets, ranging from annual savings account average to personal bankruptcy rate to credit card debt as a share of income, are scored to see just where Americans come out in the overall scheme of things.

And for many, it just isn't pretty.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, CoreLogic, Department of Commerce – Bureau of Economic Analysis, TransUnion, FINRA Investor Education Foundation, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Pitney Bowes and WalletHub research indicate that a lot of Americans need a lot of help when it comes to keeping their financial heads above water—and they're not necessarily getting it.

That's definitely not good news, either for those poor souls who can't add two and two and come up with four or for their bosses. According to a CUInsight report, employers are trying to do something about employees' financial literacy if only to stave off losses at work caused by workers under financial stress.

When employees are stressed, they are more likely to suffer fatigue and other ailments, resulting in sick days and decreased output.

As a result, the report says, the workplace trend has an increasing number of large- and mid-sized companies including financial education as part of their wellness benefits offerings.

Workers, particularly in the 5 least financially savvy states below, might well wish their employers offered financial wellness programs. After all, their colleagues in the 5 most financially savvy states have probably already done so.

5 least financially savvy states

5. West Virginia

West Virginia has woes beyond money, but its rankings here indicate where some of those woes may have come from.

With an overall rank of 46.72, the state finished in 45^th place for debt and spending, 10^th place for financial literacy, 38^th place for credit and 49^th place for saving.

In addition, it's in 47^th place for the highest delinquency rate on mortgages, auto loans, student loans and credit cards and at the very bottom—51^st place—for the lowest percentage of the population with rainy-day funds.

4. Oklahoma

With an overall score of 45.62, Oklahoma isn't distinguishing itself for financial literacy—even though it scored better in that category, with a rank of 37 for financial literacy, than it did in debt and spending—46^th place—or its 41^st place for credit and 47^th place for saving.

It also finished next to last in the country, at 50^th place, for having the lowest percentage of the population with rainy-day funds.

3. New Mexico

New Mexico, at 43.27, doesn't fare too well either, at third from the bottom in the country.

Its rank of 49 for debt and spending, 45 for credit and 48 for saving pretty much cancel out its financial literacy ranking of 23, which apparently doesn't get used much.

That can be seen in its last-place ranking for the highest delinquency rate on mortgages, auto loans, student loans and credit cards.

2. Arkansas

Arkansas' overall score of 42.27 reflects a population that came in 50^th for debt and spending, 46^th for financial literacy, 51^st for credit, and a surprisingly better 37^th for saving.

However, the state also finished 47^th for the highest total debt as a percentage of income.

1. Mississippi

At a dismal 37.72, Mississippi is in the cellar. So is its rank for debt and spending and for saving, both last in the country at 51.

It did slightly better on financial literacy, at 17, but only marginally so on credit, at 49.

The state also has the lowest median credit score, is in 49^th place for the highest delinquency rate on mortgages, auto loans, student loans and credit cards and in 48^th place for the lowest percentage of the population with rainy-day funds.

5 most financially savvy states

5. New Jersey

At 66.30, New Jersey's overall score was good enough to get it into fifth place—as were its high ranking of 3 for debt and spending and 5 for saving.

When it came to financial literacy and credit, it didn't do anywhere near as well, though, with ranks of 16 and 27, respectively.

Nonetheless, it ranked second for the lowest total debt as a percentage of median income and for the lowest percentage of credit usage, but tied for 50^th place for the highest foreclosure rate in the country.

4. Minnesota

The Land of 10,000 Lakes obviously knows how to count, finishing as high as it did for being financially savvy.

Its overall score was 66.58, with a debt and spending rank of 10, a financial literacy rank of 8, a credit rank of 4 and a saving rank of 12.

Minnesota also tied for first place (with North Dakota) for the highest median credit score, finished second only to North Dakota for the lowest delinquency rate on mortgages, auto loans, student loans and credit cards, was in third place for the highest percentage of the population with a rainy-day fund and was in a five-way tie for second place for the lowest foreclosure rate in the country (with Alaska, Arizona, California and Michigan).

On the flip side, it ranked 47^th for the highest percent of credit usage—but apparently most are successful at keeping all those balls in the air.

3. Connecticut

Connecticut is outpaced a bit in its overall score, coming in with 67.12. But its debt and spending rank is a highly respectable 4—something you'd never guess from the state capital's current fiscal difficulties—and its financial literacy rate is 6; must be all those hedge funds in the state.

Its credit rank, on the other hand, is a more run-of-the-mill 18, while in savings it comes in a bit better with a 10.

Its citizens also have the fifth lowest debt as a percentage of annual income, which is a pretty good showing, and that's undoubtedly related to their fourth-place position in having the lowest percentage of credit usage.

2. New Hampshire

New Hampshire's overall score is just a tad less than the top state in the rankings, at 69.67. Its debt and spending rank is 8, while its financial literacy rank is 4; its credit rank is 7 and its saving rank—talk about thrifty!—is 1—top in the country.

The state also has the second-highest percentage of the population with rainy-day funds, highlighting their penchant for saving.

1. Massachusetts

Leave it to those thrifty New Englanders to capture three out of the top five financially savvy spots in the country.

But Massachusetts outdoes them all, with the lowest share of adults spending more than they earn. Just 13.29 percent of residents are so foolish—and that's 1.7 times lower than in Delaware, the state with the highest number of spendthrifts at 22.67 percent.

The state has a total score of 70.56. On individual factors, of course, there's some variation, with its debt and spending rank of 1,  financial literacy rank of 14,  credit rank of 8 and saving rank of 17—but overall it's a pretty respectable showing.