2017’s Happiest Places to Live
4:39 AMPosted by: Richie Bernardo
The pursuit of happiness is an unalienable right of all people. The U.S. Declaration of Independence makes that very clear. But as everyone discovers at some point, happiness is not so easy to achieve — unless, perhaps, you’re in a place where it is not only a state of being but also a way of life.
Location indeed plays a hand in our pursuit of such an elusive condition. For years, researchers have studied the science of happiness and found that its key ingredients include a positive mental state, healthy physique, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being. However, there’s a caveat on that last one: Wealth follows happiness — but only up to an income level of $75,000 a year. Any higher, and money ceases to influence a person’s contentment with life.
As this study aims to illustrate, we can either attain or merely aspire to a happy life, depending on where we choose to live. WalletHub’s data team drew upon the various findings of positive-psychology research in order to determine which among 150 of the largest U.S. cities is home to the happiest people in America. We examined each city based on 30 key indicators of happiness, ranging from depression rate to income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day. Read on for our findings, methodology and expert commentary from a panel of researchers.
To see which states combine all the necessary components of happiness, check out WalletHub’s report on the Happiest States in America.
Main FindingsEmbed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/32619/geochart-happiest-cities.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2nlbkaH;
Overall Rank |
City |
Total Score |
‘Emotional & Physical Well-Being’ Rank |
‘Work Environment’ Rank |
‘Community & Environment’ Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fremont, CA | 77.55 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
2 | San Jose, CA | 75.79 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
3 | Irvine, CA | 70.99 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
4 | San Francisco, CA | 69.20 | 3 | 2 | 101 |
5 | Sioux Falls, SD | 67.63 | 10 | 21 | 3 |
6 | Huntington Beach, CA | 67.32 | 6 | 11 | 45 |
7 | San Diego, CA | 65.80 | 8 | 7 | 40 |
8 | Oakland, CA | 65.52 | 4 | 34 | 119 |
9 | Santa Rosa, CA | 65.29 | 20 | 15 | 23 |
10 | Washington, DC | 65.14 | 13 | 6 | 65 |
11 | Chula Vista, CA | 64.82 | 15 | 27 | 17 |
12 | Santa Clarita, CA | 64.79 | 17 | 29 | 29 |
13 | Scottsdale, AZ | 64.61 | 34 | 12 | 2 |
14 | Garden Grove, CA | 64.35 | 11 | 45 | 43 |
15 | Madison, WI | 64.28 | 28 | 13 | 22 |
16 | Gilbert, AZ | 63.87 | 37 | 4 | 9 |
17 | Overland Park, KS | 63.86 | 32 | 17 | 20 |
18 | Anaheim, CA | 63.48 | 14 | 37 | 62 |
19 | Plano, TX | 63.43 | 30 | 14 | 41 |
20 | Glendale, CA | 63.43 | 16 | 70 | 27 |
21 | Seattle, WA | 63.16 | 25 | 5 | 76 |
22 | Austin, TX | 63.01 | 12 | 33 | 74 |
23 | Raleigh, NC | 62.88 | 7 | 46 | 81 |
24 | Minneapolis, MN | 62.59 | 9 | 20 | 125 |
25 | St. Paul, MN | 62.43 | 19 | 38 | 80 |
26 | Lincoln, NE | 61.95 | 31 | 48 | 37 |
27 | Oceanside, CA | 61.83 | 18 | 80 | 36 |
28 | Chandler, AZ | 61.68 | 39 | 10 | 39 |
29 | Aurora, CO | 61.41 | 22 | 52 | 63 |
30 | Peoria, AZ | 60.86 | 49 | 22 | 8 |
31 | Oxnard, CA | 60.56 | 33 | 77 | 13 |
32 | Honolulu, HI | 60.35 | 29 | 19 | 108 |
33 | Boise, ID | 60.23 | 48 | 16 | 30 |
34 | Grand Prairie, TX | 60.22 | 57 | 36 | 4 |
35 | Aurora, IL | 59.94 | 42 | 62 | 10 |
36 | Los Angeles, CA | 59.91 | 24 | 49 | 97 |
37 | Denver, CO | 59.25 | 27 | 79 | 86 |
38 | Tempe, AZ | 59.12 | 44 | 24 | 68 |
39 | Durham, NC | 59.05 | 26 | 50 | 106 |
40 | Long Beach, CA | 59.05 | 21 | 95 | 110 |
41 | Charlotte, NC | 59.05 | 45 | 96 | 7 |
42 | El Paso, TX | 58.72 | 35 | 75 | 53 |
43 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 58.69 | 69 | 8 | 51 |
44 | Cape Coral, FL | 58.65 | 43 | 63 | 28 |
45 | Santa Ana, CA | 58.42 | 23 | 72 | 129 |
46 | Colorado Springs, CO | 58.41 | 65 | 41 | 16 |
47 | Garland, TX | 57.93 | 41 | 60 | 67 |
48 | Des Moines, IA | 57.90 | 36 | 91 | 72 |
49 | Salt Lake City, UT | 57.43 | 46 | 69 | 48 |
50 | Irving, TX | 57.33 | 50 | 31 | 93 |
51 | Omaha, NE | 57.27 | 47 | 57 | 70 |
52 | Yonkers, NY | 57.25 | 38 | 55 | 123 |
53 | Mesa, AZ | 57.12 | 52 | 47 | 71 |
54 | Fort Worth, TX | 57.06 | 61 | 88 | 25 |
55 | Boston, MA | 56.93 | 40 | 25 | 126 |
56 | Grand Rapids, MI | 56.90 | 74 | 39 | 31 |
57 | Orlando, FL | 56.79 | 54 | 86 | 44 |
58 | Virginia Beach, VA | 56.32 | 67 | 81 | 33 |
59 | Portland, OR | 56.11 | 81 | 18 | 66 |
60 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 56.10 | 73 | 98 | 11 |
61 | Anchorage, AK | 56.08 | 55 | 53 | 107 |
62 | Fontana, CA | 56.03 | 89 | 30 | 24 |
63 | Reno, NV | 55.83 | 68 | 40 | 78 |
64 | Riverside, CA | 55.78 | 87 | 23 | 60 |
65 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 55.58 | 71 | 68 | 57 |
66 | Chesapeake, VA | 55.33 | 90 | 78 | 12 |
67 | Jersey City, NJ | 55.17 | 62 | 61 | 112 |
68 | Henderson, NV | 54.96 | 102 | 35 | 26 |
69 | Arlington, TX | 54.95 | 56 | 101 | 87 |
70 | New York, NY | 54.66 | 66 | 83 | 89 |
71 | Nashville, TN | 54.63 | 85 | 99 | 19 |
72 | San Antonio, TX | 54.55 | 79 | 71 | 54 |
73 | Greensboro, NC | 54.33 | 78 | 87 | 50 |
74 | Huntsville, AL | 54.29 | 94 | 89 | 18 |
75 | Tacoma, WA | 54.14 | 75 | 53 | 114 |
76 | Tallahassee, FL | 53.97 | 86 | 73 | 55 |
77 | Glendale, AZ | 53.93 | 59 | 106 | 109 |
78 | Sacramento, CA | 53.90 | 64 | 51 | 128 |
79 | Laredo, TX | 53.66 | 63 | 116 | 58 |
80 | Kansas City, MO | 53.52 | 82 | 65 | 79 |
81 | Lubbock, TX | 53.32 | 101 | 32 | 83 |
82 | Moreno Valley, CA | 53.03 | 95 | 85 | 46 |
83 | Atlanta, GA | 52.97 | 51 | 114 | 122 |
84 | Tucson, AZ | 52.70 | 72 | 110 | 75 |
85 | Phoenix, AZ | 52.67 | 60 | 115 | 118 |
86 | Dallas, TX | 52.62 | 53 | 103 | 135 |
87 | Chicago, IL | 52.57 | 58 | 120 | 116 |
88 | Ontario, CA | 52.57 | 92 | 64 | 103 |
89 | Vancouver, WA | 52.27 | 99 | 42 | 85 |
90 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 52.11 | 96 | 92 | 61 |
91 | Oklahoma City, OK | 51.95 | 114 | 74 | 14 |
92 | Albuquerque, NM | 51.77 | 100 | 108 | 32 |
93 | Winston-Salem, NC | 51.69 | 83 | 112 | 73 |
94 | Wichita, KS | 51.51 | 91 | 90 | 117 |
95 | Columbus, OH | 51.47 | 106 | 102 | 38 |
96 | Springfield, MO | 51.23 | 115 | 28 | 99 |
97 | Amarillo, TX | 51.14 | 111 | 76 | 49 |
98 | Spokane, WA | 51.10 | 108 | 58 | 69 |
99 | Pittsburgh, PA | 50.67 | 109 | 44 | 102 |
100 | Fort Wayne, IN | 50.07 | 112 | 43 | 121 |
101 | Modesto, CA | 49.95 | 110 | 113 | 34 |
102 | Brownsville, TX | 49.90 | 84 | 143 | 56 |
103 | Miami, FL | 49.78 | 76 | 100 | 147 |
104 | Houston, TX | 49.77 | 70 | 133 | 131 |
105 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 49.38 | 80 | 119 | 145 |
106 | San Bernardino, CA | 49.22 | 98 | 124 | 92 |
107 | Las Vegas, NV | 49.06 | 118 | 93 | 91 |
108 | Stockton, CA | 48.72 | 97 | 128 | 95 |
109 | Chattanooga, TN | 48.69 | 117 | 82 | 104 |
110 | Richmond, VA | 48.65 | 88 | 118 | 144 |
111 | North Las Vegas, NV | 48.64 | 128 | 94 | 64 |
112 | Fresno, CA | 48.43 | 93 | 141 | 98 |
113 | Hialeah, FL | 48.31 | 77 | 144 | 138 |
114 | Bakersfield, CA | 48.18 | 124 | 127 | 35 |
115 | Newport News, VA | 47.98 | 104 | 117 | 124 |
116 | Jacksonville, FL | 47.93 | 125 | 104 | 59 |
117 | Providence, RI | 47.73 | 129 | 59 | 90 |
118 | Knoxville, TN | 47.04 | 133 | 97 | 47 |
119 | Baton Rouge, LA | 46.69 | 123 | 56 | 140 |
120 | Tampa, FL | 46.65 | 121 | 125 | 88 |
121 | Worcester, MA | 46.60 | 120 | 84 | 137 |
122 | St. Petersburg, FL | 46.50 | 130 | 67 | 111 |
123 | Milwaukee, WI | 46.44 | 105 | 130 | 133 |
124 | New Orleans, LA | 46.40 | 143 | 107 | 5 |
125 | Rochester, NY | 46.18 | 103 | 140 | 130 |
126 | Indianapolis, IN | 45.92 | 134 | 123 | 42 |
127 | Tulsa, OK | 45.76 | 136 | 66 | 82 |
128 | Montgomery, AL | 45.33 | 122 | 137 | 94 |
129 | Little Rock, AR | 45.30 | 144 | 26 | 52 |
130 | Baltimore, MD | 45.07 | 113 | 121 | 139 |
131 | Memphis, TN | 45.06 | 119 | 139 | 115 |
132 | Louisville, KY | 44.95 | 138 | 132 | 21 |
133 | Norfolk, VA | 44.46 | 116 | 134 | 136 |
134 | Corpus Christi, TX | 44.14 | 135 | 109 | 96 |
135 | Buffalo, NY | 43.59 | 126 | 131 | 132 |
136 | Cincinnati, OH | 43.34 | 127 | 136 | 127 |
137 | St. Louis, MO | 43.06 | 132 | 105 | 142 |
138 | Jackson, MS | 42.93 | 137 | 111 | 113 |
139 | Philadelphia, PA | 42.77 | 142 | 122 | 77 |
140 | Akron, OH | 42.20 | 131 | 129 | 141 |
141 | Newark, NJ | 41.16 | 107 | 149 | 150 |
142 | Fayetteville, NC | 40.04 | 141 | 145 | 120 |
143 | Shreveport, LA | 39.20 | 148 | 135 | 105 |
144 | Mobile, AL | 39.03 | 147 | 142 | 100 |
145 | Columbus, GA | 38.62 | 145 | 147 | 84 |
146 | Toledo, OH | 38.00 | 146 | 126 | 143 |
147 | Birmingham, AL | 37.50 | 139 | 146 | 146 |
148 | Augusta, GA | 37.00 | 149 | 138 | 134 |
149 | Cleveland, OH | 36.80 | 140 | 148 | 148 |
150 | Detroit, MI | 27.78 | 150 | 150 | 149 |
Many factors, besides its core components, can affect a person’s happiness. For additional insight, we asked a panel of experts for their thoughts on the following key questions:
- To what extent is the current political climate affecting the happiness of Americans?
- What tips do you have for someone who is unhappy with his or her career?
- Does an individual’s happiness increase or decrease with age? With marriage?
- How much does where you live influence your happiness?
- Can money buy happiness?
- Do Americans place too much importance on happiness?
In order to determine the happiest cities in America, WalletHub’s analysts compared 150 of the largest cities across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Work Environment and 3) Community & Environment.
We evaluated these categories using 30 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness.
We then calculated overall scores for each city based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct our final ranking. Our analysis draws upon the findings of the following research, each of which has indicated a correlation between our data and happiness:
- Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity (Chan and Diener, 2010)
- Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences (Bhattacharjee and Mogilner, 2014)
- Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data (Huang and Humphreys, 2010)
- Unhappy Cities (Glaeser, et al., 2014)
- Emotional-Health Index: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)Note: This metric measures self-reported effects of
- Life-Satisfaction Index: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Expressions of Happiness: Half Weight (~1.92 Points)Note: This metric uses data from Hedonometer.org, which measures personal expressions of happiness or pleasure on social media.
- Depression Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Suicide Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Adequate-Sleep Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Physical-Health Index: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Sports-Participation Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Obesity Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Binge-Drinking Rate: Half Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Heart-Disease Rate: Half Weight (~1.92 Points)
- Illness & Disability Index: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Life Expectancy: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Food-Insecurity Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
- Income-Growth Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Half Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Job Satisfaction: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Job Security: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)Note: This metric measures the probability of unemployment.
- Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Number of Weekly Work Hours: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
- Strength of Social Ties: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)Note: This metric is based on responses to Sharecare’s RealAge® Test and was used in our report in order to highlight the places where relationships with family and friends are stronger, as living in these places will surely provide an upside on one’s social life as well.
- Population-Growth Rate: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~2.08 Points)
- Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Ideal Weather: Half Weight (~2.08 Points)Note: This metric uses data from WalletHub’s Cities with the Best & Worst Weather ranking.
- Acres of Parkland per 1,000 Residents: Half Weight (~2.08 Points)
- Number of Attractions: Half Weight (~2.08 Points)
- Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gallup-Healthways, Feeding America, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Corporation for National and Community Service, The Trust for Public Land, The MITRE Corporation and University of Vermont Complex Systems Center, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Indeed, TripAdvisor, Sharecare and WalletHub research.
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