Posted by: Adam McCann

The U.S. Declaration of Independence speaks about the “pursuit of happiness” as a universal right Everyone gets joy from different things, whether it’s family, friends, activities, entertainment or work. But what people might not realize is that where you live may also determine how happy you are.

Location plays a hand in how bright or gloomy our days are. For years, researchers have studied the science of happiness and found that its key ingredients include a positive mental state, healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being. However, money can only make you so happy – people who make $75,000 a year won’t get any higher satisfaction from more money.

As this study aims to illustrate, moving to a certain city may help you be more content. WalletHub drew upon the various findings of positive-psychology research in order to determine which among more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities is home to the happiest people in America. We examined each city based on 28 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.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed 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/2FO6VZY>  

Happiest Cities in the U.S.

Overall Rank (1=Best)	City	Total Score	‘Emotional & Physical Well-Being’ Rank	‘Income & Employment’ Rank	‘Community & Environment’ Rank
1	Fremont, CA	79.89	3	6	1
2	Bismarck, ND	78.37	4	1	7
3	San Jose, CA	76.44	1	8	27
4	Pearl City, HI	75.19	2	57	2
5	Plano, TX	73.62	8	17	10
6	Fargo, ND	73.46	12	2	13
7	Sioux Falls, SD	71.96	7	48	20
8	Irvine, CA	71.17	13	33	11
9	Huntington Beach, CA	70.69	16	25	28
10	Grand Prairie, TX	70.54	29	16	3
11	Madison, WI	70.06	11	34	14
12	Columbia, MD	69.53	31	58	5
13	San Francisco, CA	69.28	5	4	126
14	Scottsdale, AZ	68.61	54	27	6
15	Overland Park, KS	68.12	23	54	34
16	Santa Clarita, CA	67.95	28	51	24
17	Glendale, CA	67.46	36	83	9
18	Oakland, CA	67.18	6	45	143
19	St. Paul, MN	67.16	17	62	67
20	Gilbert, AZ	66.24	60	13	23
21	Austin, TX	66.11	10	11	163
22	Santa Rosa, CA	66.05	22	37	79
23	Lincoln, NE	65.99	38	77	26
24	Des Moines, IA	65.98	18	71	122
25	Irving, TX	65.78	25	15	132
26	Honolulu, HI	65.72	65	10	29
27	Garden Grove, CA	65.68	40	90	31
28	Cedar Rapids, IA	65.62	46	41	39
29	Anaheim, CA	65.58	30	61	59
30	Garland, TX	65.57	24	73	92
31	Minneapolis, MN	65.42	9	40	134
32	San Diego, CA	65.37	14	28	74
33	Charleston, SC	64.90	82	9	12
34	Seattle, WA	64.87	42	5	99
35	Chula Vista, CA	64.55	21	84	53
36	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	64.47	70	26	30
37	Cape Coral, FL	64.26	52	79	19
38	Port St. Lucie, FL	64.10	45	92	56
39	Fort Worth, TX	64.09	33	68	109
40	Chandler, AZ	63.96	66	29	45
41	Raleigh, NC	63.90	20	65	104
42	Peoria, AZ	63.89	73	49	21
43	Oceanside, CA	63.82	19	139	50
44	Portland, ME	63.71	49	46	105
45	Aurora, IL	63.70	39	142	46
46	El Paso, TX	63.69	37	43	130
47	Brownsville, TX	63.59	56	67	43
48	Chesapeake, VA	63.21	85	127	4
49	Pembroke Pines, FL	63.20	69	87	15
50	Arlington, TX	63.17	35	99	110
51	Charlotte, NC	63.11	46	101	48
52	Burlington, VT	63.10	43	7	178
53	Oxnard, CA	62.89	41	111	55
54	Virginia Beach, VA	62.80	72	112	16
55	Aurora, CO	62.55	48	86	83
56	Durham, NC	62.54	26	55	96
57	Boise, ID	62.27	76	35	62
58	Tempe, AZ	62.16	74	47	81
59	Grand Rapids, MI	62.14	78	64	47
60	Missoula, MT	61.99	89	19	63
61	Yonkers, NY	61.83	57	124	73
62	Omaha, NE	61.53	59	74	91
63	Boston, MA	61.53	62	18	106
64	Rapid City, SD	61.47	101	52	17
65	Billings, MT	61.43	93	23	52
66	Denver, CO	61.39	32	63	131
67	Fontana, CA	61.38	91	66	22
68	Colorado Springs, CO	61.24	88	59	36
69	Juneau, AK	61.00	58	3	152
70	Long Beach, CA	60.87	51	93	116
71	Santa Ana, CA	60.57	44	110	120
72	Cheyenne, WY	60.46	96	22	94
73	Washington, DC	60.35	15	31	171
74	Tallahassee, FL	60.01	95	38	117
75	Los Angeles, CA	60.00	50	72	127
76	Anchorage, AK	59.94	87	56	72
77	Mesa, AZ	59.61	79	88	87
78	Las Cruces, NM	59.59	67	100	86
79	Riverside, CA	59.52	83	53	101
80	New York, NY	59.51	71	113	77
81	Dallas, TX	59.15	27	95	172
82	Moreno Valley, CA	59.06	94	115	44
83	Nashua, NH	58.99	103	44	93
84	South Burlington, VT	58.86	75	30	168
85	Ontario, CA	58.86	90	118	58
86	Portland, OR	58.82	99	12	107
87	Jersey City, NJ	58.66	77	144	76
88	Reno, NV	58.48	102	89	61
89	Orlando, FL	58.42	61	76	154
90	Pittsburgh, PA	58.14	120	60	35
91	Fort Lauderdale, FL	58.12	80	105	173
92	Amarillo, TX	58.04	145	21	33
93	Laredo, TX	57.73	34	69	165
94	San Antonio, TX	57.39	98	32	139
95	Warwick, RI	57.32	134	42	8
96	Atlanta, GA	57.18	68	145	114
97	Kansas City, MO	56.78	105	131	60
98	Salt Lake City, UT	56.75	100	91	119
99	Chicago, IL	56.66	53	173	112
100	Modesto, CA	56.54	124	106	32
101	Casper, WY	56.51	139	81	54
102	Nampa, ID	56.43	109	140	41
103	Lewiston, ME	56.09	159	50	66
104	Nashville, TN	55.94	127	102	42
105	Henderson, NV	55.86	131	137	25
106	Vancouver, WA	55.81	119	96	70
107	Fort Wayne, IN	55.74	81	128	137
108	Tacoma, WA	55.73	110	98	115
109	Huntsville, AL	55.48	152	82	18
110	Manchester, NH	55.39	111	78	133
111	West Valley City, UT	55.28	113	94	125
112	Columbus, OH	55.21	122	138	51
113	Houston, TX	54.86	55	134	179
114	Sacramento, CA	54.70	92	85	148
115	Glendale, AZ	54.49	86	148	145
116	Salem, OR	53.73	147	20	108
117	Columbia, SC	53.60	144	39	88
118	Springfield, MO	53.48	138	107	68
119	Greensboro, NC	53.47	112	114	111
120	Lexington-Fayette, KY	53.45	149	80	71
121	Newport News, VA	53.41	116	152	98
122	Phoenix, AZ	53.40	84	141	153
123	Spokane, WA	53.25	140	75	69
124	Hialeah, FL	53.16	64	168	180
125	Bakersfield, CA	52.85	129	117	102
126	Miami, FL	52.52	63	120	182
127	Tampa, FL	52.35	126	108	128
128	San Bernardino, CA	52.10	107	149	155
129	Wichita, KS	51.77	114	126	157
130	Lubbock, TX	51.75	142	14	169
131	Tucson, AZ	51.72	104	121	160
132	Bridgeport, CT	51.60	108	153	147
133	Jacksonville, FL	51.57	132	125	124
134	Norfolk, VA	51.53	118	150	129
135	Oklahoma City, OK	51.36	156	122	64
136	Worcester, MA	51.34	133	116	138
137	St. Petersburg, FL	51.01	143	36	161
138	Corpus Christi, TX	50.62	148	24	164
139	Providence, RI	50.52	158	135	37
140	Winston-Salem, NC	50.31	125	132	144
141	Albuquerque, NM	50.28	130	109	159
142	Milwaukee, WI	49.96	115	169	141
143	Louisville, KY	49.75	165	135	49
144	Indianapolis, IN	49.71	137	172	89
145	North Las Vegas, NV	49.65	162	162	40
146	Fresno, CA	49.39	106	163	151
147	Rochester, NY	49.20	123	157	158
148	New Orleans, LA	49.00	160	133	78
149	Knoxville, TN	48.80	170	104	38
150	Cincinnati, OH	48.77	141	165	100
151	Richmond, VA	48.61	117	159	176
152	Dover, DE	48.59	97	130	177
153	Baton Rouge, LA	48.39	136	103	167
154	Stockton, CA	48.20	128	151	149
155	Buffalo, NY	47.47	146	154	135
156	Las Vegas, NV	47.12	155	156	123
157	Fayetteville, NC	46.85	169	147	85
158	New Haven, CT	46.39	150	160	150
159	Baltimore, MD	46.26	135	158	166
160	Akron, OH	45.84	157	171	113
161	Augusta, GA	45.59	164	170	80
162	Chattanooga, TN	45.57	172	129	97
163	Philadelphia, PA	45.45	171	143	103
164	Fort Smith, AR	45.07	177	119	65
165	Montgomery, AL	45.04	166	175	75
166	Memphis, TN	44.84	153	179	136
167	Jackson, MS	44.63	163	177	90
168	St. Louis, MO	44.53	151	178	146
169	Newark, NJ	43.93	121	182	170
170	Tulsa, OK	43.73	168	123	162
171	Toledo, OH	43.58	167	161	140
172	Shreveport, LA	42.90	174	164	95
173	Cleveland, OH	42.85	154	180	156
174	Columbus, GA	42.84	175	167	57
175	Mobile, AL	41.09	176	174	84
176	Wilmington, DE	40.92	161	155	181
177	Charleston, WV	39.55	180	70	121
178	Little Rock, AR	39.26	178	146	118
179	Gulfport, MS	38.72	179	166	82
180	Huntington, WV	38.35	181	97	142
181	Birmingham, AL	37.81	173	176	175
182	Detroit, MI	28.65	182	181	174

Ask the Experts

Many factors can affect a person’s happiness. For additional insight, we asked a panel of experts for their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. To what extent is the current political climate affecting the happiness of Americans?
2. What tips do you have for someone who is unhappy with his or her career?
3. Does an individual’s happiness increase or decrease with age?
4. How much does where you live influence your happiness?
5. Can money buy happiness?
6. Do Americans place too much importance on happiness?

< >

• Sarah Collins Director of the College to Career Center at Doane University
• Jonathan H. Westover Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership and Director of Academic Service Learning at Utah Valley University & Member of the Board of Directors at HR Certification Institute
• Sarah Gaither Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience in the Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University
• Wendy Flint Director of the IDEA Center for Career and Academic Planning at George Fox University
• Damian R. Murray Assistant Professor of Psychology at Tulane University

Sarah Collins Director of the College to Career Center at Doane University

What tips do you have for someone who is unhappy with their career?

Being unhappy in a career is, unfortunately, quite common. The main problem, in my opinion, is that most people do not spend enough time getting to know themselves to truly understand which career they would be best suited for -- and, thus, most happy in. When I work with students or clients regarding finding a career, I try to help them learn more about themselves. The three main components I find essential when assessing self are determining a person's interests, skills and values. And while those things may seem simple to determine, most people will actually struggle to pinpoint them. It doesn't have to be a complicated process, but it does have to be an intentional process.

Once a person more clearly understands what they are good at (skills), what they like doing (interests), and what is important to them (values), then that person can start to effectively evaluate career options. It's also important to recognize exactly what about your current career is making you unhappy. Knowing what you don't like and what is triggering your unhappiness is just as important as understanding what would make you happier -- sometimes, more important. Unfortunately, what I see many people do is just throw darts into darkness. They move from job to job without really taking the time to understand which career, based on their own interests, skills and values, would be the best fit for them.

How much does where you live influence your happiness?

This comes down to a person's interests and values. If you love spending time outdoors, then living in a place with a temperate climate could make you happier, as it would allow you to fulfill this interest more often. If family is very important to you, then being close to them, wherever they are, might make you happier. For most people, we've got to balance these things. Personally, I live in Lincoln, Nebraska and I hate the winters and wish there was more to do here. However, I have family close by and I love that the cost of living is fairly low. I am happy living here because I can save money to travel to warmer climates during the winter months. It's a give and take. If people are questioning their happiness in their current city, I'd encourage them to make a calculated move. Try out a new place for a year or more. The road goes both ways and you can always take it back home.

Can money buy happiness?

I personally I think it all goes back to a person's values. Some people want/need more money to feel satisfied, while others are content with less. Having enough money to cover the essentials in life is important, beyond that, some people place more value on money and what it can buy them. I've known individuals making $40,000 annually who feel completely satisfied and happy with their lives, but I also know people who do not feel happy unless they are making closer to $80,000. It's all about what you value in life, your life situation, and the standard of living you're comfortable with.

Do Americans place too much importance on happiness?

Potentially. I think happiness is essential, but to feel truly fulfilled, we need to focus on more than just happiness. There is a great TED Talk addressing this by Emily Esfahani Smith, stating that happiness comes and goes, but having meaning in life -- serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you -- gives you something to hold onto.

Jonathan H. Westover Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership and Director of Academic Service Learning at Utah Valley University & Member of the Board of Directors at HR Certification Institute

To what extent is the current political climate affecting the happiness of Americans?

I think it is clear from public opinion polling that Americans are frustrated with the political climate, and that there is a great deal of distrust of politicians and uncertainty in the political system. Of course, this contributes to frustrations and angst in other aspects of our daily lives. The partisan divide gets worse and worse each year, and public political discourse gets more and more polarized. Not only does this have governance implications, but it influences relationships. Civility in our public discourse is eroding, largely influenced by our political climate, and this impacts peoples’ happiness and life satisfaction.

What tips do you have for someone who is unhappy with their career?

It may be easier said than done, specifically when one is facing economic hardships, but I think we all need to take ownership over our own employment experience. The reality is that most organizations are not deeply loyal and invested in their employees. In a hypercompetitive, employment at will, capitalist system, employees need to be selective about who they choose to work for, leverage work opportunities to gain transferable experiences and skills, and ultimately recognize that their happiness and satisfaction is largely in their hands. We all need to strive for engagement in our jobs (which will increase our happiness and future opportunities) and to develop meaningful relationships with those we work with, as workplace relationships are one of the key drivers of employee happiness and satisfaction.

Does an individual’s happiness increase or decrease with age?

The job and life satisfaction academic literature suggests that generally speaking, happiness does increase with age, often in a U-shape pattern (high happiness in the early years, which decreases in early career/adulthood, and then increases again as we age and grow in our careers).

How much does where you live influence your happiness?

There are many factors that influence happiness and life satisfaction, and where you live is one of them. This usually connects with life stage and what the individual/family is looking for, but generally speaking, people are happier when they live in places with good schools, low crime, a strong economy, and a strong connection with nature and the surrounding environment.

Can money buy happiness?

Yes, to a point. There is a satiation point though, and once one’s basic needs are met, additional money/income does not result in additional happiness of life satisfaction.

Do Americans place too much importance on happiness?

Perhaps. It is one of a large constellation of emotions. It is certainly unrealistic to think we can be happy all the time or satisfied in our jobs all the time. But as happiness and life satisfaction is linked to many other personal, professional, organizational, and societal outcomes, I believe it is something to strive for and to develop in ourselves.

Sarah Gaither Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience in the Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University

TTo what extent is the current political climate affecting the happiness of Americans? Do Americans place too much importance on happiness? How much does where you live influence your happiness?

As a diversity and identity researcher, the current climate does seem to be shifting some identities in society in both positive and negative ways. For example, some minority groups are reporting feeling more threatened in the current climate, whereas there is now some work suggesting some white individuals are also feeling threatened as discussions surrounding a majority-minority United States are surfacing. What we know from identity research is that whenever someone is feeling threatened, or if their sense of belonging is threatened, they will react by either excluding others to maintain their sense of self, or by being more inclusive of others to try and build up their group. This second response of being more inclusive tends to occur more often for lower-status groups.

So, the context or the situation can definitely sway how safe, happy or comfortable someone feels. In fact, the diversity or lack of diversity in a given environment has been shown to be related to one's positive sense of self and their own identity. But studying "happiness" as an emotion is always a difficult thing to do in research. Emotions themselves are hard to define, and research shows we can misattribute our emotions easily, as well. This flexibility and variability in emotion as it relates to one's job, or identity, or their group membership is something that fuels my own research. What are the specific contexts and situations that make us feel happier versus more anxious?

Wendy Flint Director of the IDEA Center for Career and Academic Planning at George Fox University

What tips do you have for someone who is unhappy with their career?

If you are unhappy because you think you may be in the wrong profession, it’s never too late to re-invent yourself. If you’re not using your strengths (talents and skills), you will be miserable, and it’s time to seek new opportunities or additional education to prepare for a new career.

We have all spent time in jobs “to pay the bills,” but we need to be moving in the direction of finding peace, joy, and happiness in our everyday mission. However, if you don’t have a mission statement, you won’t know what direction to go.

The first step is to identify your strengths and values using tools you can find online, such as Gallup’s Strengths Finder or the free VIA values test. The second is to write a list of skills that give you energy, such as public speaking, writing, organizing, problem solving, or influencing.

Finally, you choose an area of interest that makes you feel passionate or keeps you up at night, wishing you could make a difference. Do you want to be in an organization that saves trees, invents new technology, helps the homeless, assists with mergers and acquisitions, develops skills and talents, researches medical cures, councils or educates, or does non-profit community work? Or, perhaps start your own business.

If you put these three inquiries together, you have the content for a mission statement that will be your guiding “North Star” to your next destination. You can then write a career plan with a timeline and specific goals. Here are three examples that my students wrote this year:

• I am passionate about advocacy. My mission is to legally advocate for minority cultures to help them develop their socio-cultural circumstances to be the most inclusive, and fulfilling, for them. With leadership, empathy, a proclivity for strategic thinking, teachability, and powerful oration, my goal is to widen the boundaries of society to include, and embrace, those that are on the margins.
• I am passionate about contributing to an individual's well-being. Through my training in health care and work in promoting equality, I hope to set up and work within a space that allows underprivileged populations to relieve critical medical care at a truly affordable price.
• I am passionate about helping people. My mission is to help young people learn the value of saving and investing so that they can be prepared for their future. With passion, hard work, and clear communication and instruction, my goal is to create a generation of financially literate individuals who can handle their investing and have a comfortable future without having to rely on others.

These students are clear about what they want and they are on their way to finding happiness in a new career.

I wrote my mission statement in 1992 and it guided me to the career I have now: I want to help people through writing, coaching, and teaching, find purpose and achieve career success, helping them find ways to make a difference in the world whatever their profession.

Damian R. Murray Assistant Professor of Psychology at Tulane University

To what extent is the current political climate affecting the happiness of Americans?

There are at least two factors within the current American political climate that can negatively impact happiness. The first factor is uncertainty. Americans are more uncertain than they have been in quite some time about how potential policy changes will impact their daily lives and their family's welfare. A wealth of psychological research demonstrates the negative effects of uncertainty for happiness; uncertainty about whether one will receive bad news, for example, actually decreases happiness more than does actually receiving bad news. The second factor that may be negatively influencing happiness is distrust. Within the current political climate, distrust is inordinately high -- distrust of political outgroups and their supporters, distrust of the media, and even distrust of the electoral process itself. Distrust fuels suspicion and further feeds into perceived uncertainty. It's also much harder to thrive and be happy if you don't trust your neighbors or don't trust the institutions that you need to interact with.

What tips do you have for someone who is unhappy with their career?

My first piece of advice for someone who is unhappy with their career is to take a step back and take some time to take stock of why they're on their current career path. What is it, career-wise, that's causing unhappiness? Is the workload too heavy? Is it the people you have to interact with every day? Are your regular tasks more mundane than you'd expected? In many cases, small tweaks to one's daily work environment (new projects, new office, new co-workers) are all that's needed to improve career satisfaction. In many cases, however, the causes of unhappiness are more intrinsic and relate to a perceived lack of meaning or no perceived opportunities for growth or advancement. If this is the case then it's time to do a personal values and goals inventory and ask some further questions: does anything within my career give me a sense of meaning, given my values? Does my career move me towards my longer-term goals? If the answer to either of these questions is "no," then it may be time to consider a career change.

Of course, many people say that, given their circumstances (family to support, limited skills, etc.), a full career change simply isn't feasible. These perceived constraints are often self-imposed; if you actually take the time to think about what you would do if you were forced to leave your current career, many creative -- and often, liberating -- solutions come to mind, and the whole concept can become far less daunting. If career change truly isn't an option and there's no meaning to be found, however, then it's time to shift perspectives on one's regular work tasks and make them as game-like as possible. Embed incentives within your career: set small (and measurable) goals and reward yourself when you hit them. That's why otherwise meaningless computer and video games are so successful -- they create an environment of tangible challenges and provide intermittent rewards for progress.

In a good workplace, better performance should be directly incentivized already, but that's not always the case. One of my first jobs involved doing nothing but peeling potatoes for hours on end. Although an inherently mundane task, the job was way easier once I made a game of it. I'd race my coworkers to be the first to fill a five-gallon bucket, or if I was alone, I'd time myself and see what strategies led to the best times. Anything can be turned into a game or a challenge.

Does an individual’s happiness increase or decrease with age?

On average, happiness levels are fairly stable throughout adulthood; the most comprehensive studies suggest that there aren't any reliable differences in overall happiness for any particular age group. However, the predictors of happiness change with age: for younger adults, satisfying intimate relationships and school or work performance are strong predictors of happiness, whereas for older adults, job security and health are stronger predictors of happiness.

How much does where you live influence your happiness?

Where you live can influence your happiness to the extent that it causes one or more of your fundamental needs to be neglected. So, living in a place you perceive as unsafe will influence your overall happiness; living in a place where you feel socially alienated or disconnected from your important relationships will influence your overall happiness. Living somewhere that necessitates dealing with small, unavoidable daily hassles (for example, daily traffic if you really don't like traffic) will influence your overall happiness.

Can money buy happiness?

Whether or not money will buy you happiness depends both on how much of it you have and how you spend it. At or below near-poverty levels, money is consistently associated with happiness -- at these levels, money is needed to meet basic needs (food, shelter, safety). However, for people above the "basic needs" income threshold, the relationship between money and happiness is small to nonexistent -- if you have enough money to be reasonably comfortable, increases in wealth don't reliably bring about long-term increases in happiness. How you spend your money can have consequences for short-term increases in happiness too. Studies suggest that spending money on others causes larger increases in happiness than does spending money on oneself. Other studies suggest that spending money on experiences (especially experiences shared with friends or family) increase short-term happiness more than spending money on products.

Do Americans place too much importance on happiness?

Americans probably place too much importance on happiness. A prevailing theme in America is that if everything is going OK in your life, you should be happy all the time. Ironically, this cultural expectation can have detrimental effects on happiness: people end up thinking that there is something wrong with them if they don't feel happy most of the time. Other parts of the world have very different views of happiness. Many cultures believe that a meaningful life should have a relatively even balance between positive and negative emotions (a popular expression in Taoism, for example: "crying will come after laughing"). Some cultures instead emphasize low-arousal positive emotions, such as contentment or tranquility. Other cultures believe that too much happiness makes you smug and, ultimately, a worse person.

Methodology

In order to determine the happiest cities in America, WalletHub compared 182 of the largest cities— including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Income & Employment and 3) Community & Environment.

We evaluated these categories using 28 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. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

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 & Physical Well-Being - Total Points: 50

• Life-Satisfaction Index: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Emotional-Health Index: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Depression Rate: Double Weight (~7.69 Points)
• Suicide Rate: Double Weight (~7.69 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)
• Share of People Aged 12 or Older Who Used Marijuana in the Past Month: Half Weight (~1.92 Points)
• Retail Opioid Prescriptions Dispensed per 100 Persons: 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 & Employment - Total Points: 25

• Income-Growth Rate: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Job Satisfaction: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Job Security: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)Note: This metric measures the probability of unemployment.
• Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Bankruptcy Rate: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Weekly Work Hours: Full Weight (~2.63 Points)
• Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.32 Points)

Community & Environment - Total Points: 25

• Strength of Social Ties: Full Weight (~5.00 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.
• WalletHub’s Most Caring Cities Ranking: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Ideal Weather: Half Weight (~2.50 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 (~2.50 Points)
• Average Leisure Time Spent per Day*: Full Weight (~5.00 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, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Feeding America, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, The Trust for Public Land, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Indeed, Sharecare and WalletHub research.

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