Adam McCann, Financial Writer

Mar 9, 2020

The U.S. Declaration of Independence speaks about the “pursuit of happiness” as a universal right. However, everyone gets joy from different things, whether it’s family, friends, activities, entertainment or work. 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. Consider also the fact that while the U.S. is one of the richest countries, it ranks only 19th on the World Happiness Report.

But not everywhere in the U.S. experiences a uniform level of happiness. 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 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 Findings

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 75.32 4 28 5 2 Plano, TX 73.23 6 9 16 3 San Jose, CA 73.20 1 11 64 4 Irvine, CA 72.81 7 13 19 5 Madison, WI 72.19 5 21 13 6 Sioux Falls, SD 70.26 13 45 21 7 Huntington Beach, CA 69.90 8 70 44 8 Scottsdale, AZ 69.49 51 7 2 9 Santa Rosa, CA 69.33 10 34 32 10 Pearl City, HI 69.13 3 128 12 11 Bismarck, ND 68.86 18 15 31 12 Fargo, ND 68.41 26 32 30 13 Lincoln, NE 68.33 24 68 24 14 San Francisco, CA 68.30 2 2 158 15 Overland Park, KS 68.23 35 48 8 16 Santa Clarita, CA 67.86 17 127 29 17 Oceanside, CA 67.66 15 117 15 18 Glendale, CA 67.64 22 98 26 19 Anaheim, CA 67.10 23 65 43 20 Cape Coral, FL 66.96 52 63 3 21 Pembroke Pines, FL 66.80 28 134 10 22 Austin, TX 66.54 12 6 118 23 Gilbert, AZ 66.37 56 36 11 24 San Diego, CA 66.34 9 26 73 25 Chula Vista, CA 66.21 19 99 34 26 Garden Grove, CA 66.19 31 101 33 27 Grand Prairie, TX 65.89 46 74 23 28 Charleston, SC 65.86 80 3 4 29 Cedar Rapids, IA 65.64 54 38 18 30 Minneapolis, MN 65.44 14 47 112 31 Raleigh, NC 65.20 25 59 62 32 Aurora, CO 64.92 32 124 48 33 Chandler, AZ 64.92 63 42 20 34 Des Moines, IA 64.88 47 66 46 35 Irving, TX 64.80 37 17 106 36 Columbia, MD 64.58 20 106 98 37 Oxnard, CA 64.54 45 137 9 38 Peoria, AZ 64.49 69 67 6 39 Oakland, CA 64.27 11 79 132 40 St. Paul, MN 64.14 38 96 60 41 Fort Lauderdale, FL 63.96 42 62 88 42 Yonkers, NY 63.96 21 160 68 43 Garland, TX 63.80 41 122 57 44 Tempe, AZ 63.70 72 35 27 45 Boise, ID 63.62 66 12 54 46 Durham, NC 63.38 48 27 72 47 Las Cruces, NM 63.01 58 116 7 48 Aurora, IL 62.98 30 157 66 49 Charlotte, NC 62.88 55 86 49 50 Omaha, NE 62.81 64 73 38 51 Boston, MA 62.71 33 8 149 52 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 62.70 68 33 59 53 Santa Ana, CA 62.65 43 78 101 54 Denver, CO 62.60 34 88 105 55 Seattle, WA 62.54 27 1 173 56 Honolulu, HI 62.47 71 54 37 57 Port St. Lucie, FL 62.21 83 77 14 58 Nashua, NH 62.20 59 76 51 59 Rapid City, SD 62.04 105 23 1 60 Fort Worth, TX 61.97 50 102 91 61 Arlington, TX 61.95 49 132 82 62 Long Beach, CA 61.92 36 144 96 63 Portland, ME 61.88 60 10 128 64 Colorado Springs, CO 61.65 78 64 42 65 Washington, DC 61.37 16 60 177 66 Grand Rapids, MI 61.02 91 25 47 67 Nampa, ID 60.97 84 104 28 68 El Paso, TX 60.97 76 120 41 69 Mesa, AZ 60.93 82 91 36 70 Salt Lake City, UT 60.84 74 51 78 71 Manchester, NH 60.54 75 108 45 72 Virginia Beach, VA 60.51 79 126 39 73 Billings, MT 60.48 81 40 84 74 Burlington, VT 60.46 61 14 176 75 Miami, FL 60.41 29 50 170 76 Dallas, TX 59.77 44 92 148 77 Reno, NV 59.62 98 16 79 78 Fontana, CA 59.49 94 71 53 79 Brownsville, TX 59.43 106 90 22 80 Los Angeles, CA 59.42 39 93 161 81 Chesapeake, VA 59.39 100 145 25 81 Ontario, CA 59.39 95 41 74 83 Riverside, CA 59.34 77 18 129 84 Tallahassee, FL 59.25 88 39 94 85 Lewiston, ME 59.23 148 4 63 86 New York, NY 59.09 53 158 100 87 Moreno Valley, CA 58.93 89 103 58 88 Missoula, MT 58.83 65 58 140 89 Jersey City, NJ 58.61 62 168 76 90 Portland, OR 58.48 85 57 99 91 Atlanta, GA 58.32 70 110 111 92 Orlando, FL 58.29 86 20 121 93 Modesto, CA 58.17 87 52 110 94 Hialeah, FL 58.16 40 166 164 95 Vancouver, WA 58.15 97 123 56 96 Pittsburgh, PA 58.14 114 37 67 97 Tampa, FL 57.94 107 53 75 98 West Valley City, UT 57.67 102 109 65 99 Sacramento, CA 57.49 96 29 120 100 Huntsville, AL 57.32 135 55 17 101 Cheyenne, WY 57.03 112 30 141 102 Dover, DE 56.91 99 72 107 103 Henderson, NV 56.32 120 107 61 104 Glendale, AZ 56.27 93 143 102 105 Bridgeport, CT 56.20 67 163 109 106 Nashville, TN 56.20 129 114 35 107 South Burlington, VT 56.10 108 31 153 108 Anchorage, AK 55.98 92 82 143 109 Salem, OR 55.84 116 49 124 110 San Antonio, TX 55.62 123 69 85 111 Houston, TX 55.56 73 131 159 112 Winston-Salem, NC 55.55 110 94 108 113 Chicago, IL 55.29 57 177 142 114 Tacoma, WA 54.59 103 148 114 115 St. Petersburg, FL 54.56 125 43 115 116 Fort Wayne, IN 54.32 136 115 50 117 Amarillo, TX 54.23 150 44 55 118 Lexington-Fayette, KY 54.14 104 119 139 119 Phoenix, AZ 54.13 90 130 156 120 Bakersfield, CA 54.07 122 46 135 121 Laredo, TX 53.94 109 56 172 122 Worcester, MA 53.90 117 113 126 123 Tucson, AZ 53.82 101 112 145 124 Columbia, SC 53.80 145 19 69 125 Greensboro, NC 53.78 113 95 131 126 Warwick, RI 53.65 131 83 104 127 Richmond, VA 53.28 111 150 137 128 Lubbock, TX 52.98 141 24 136 129 Springfield, MO 52.83 137 105 97 130 San Bernardino, CA 52.49 118 121 152 131 Casper, WY 52.41 164 61 119 132 Albuquerque, NM 52.05 121 97 160 133 Corpus Christi, TX 51.98 147 22 125 134 Chattanooga, TN 51.80 142 141 77 135 Jacksonville, FL 51.70 151 118 70 136 Newport News, VA 51.40 124 165 123 137 Columbus, OH 51.31 132 153 113 138 Knoxville, TN 51.13 160 85 52 139 Rochester, NY 50.84 133 111 146 140 Fresno, CA 50.82 115 100 178 141 Spokane, WA 50.78 134 84 165 142 Oklahoma City, OK 50.61 153 125 81 143 Fort Smith, AR 50.55 171 75 71 144 Fayetteville, NC 50.53 154 155 40 145 Wichita, KS 50.43 138 129 134 146 Norfolk, VA 50.24 140 151 116 147 Providence, RI 50.22 155 81 92 148 Stockton, CA 49.99 119 149 162 149 New Haven, CT 49.72 126 133 175 150 North Las Vegas, NV 49.63 156 152 89 151 Buffalo, NY 49.37 149 139 122 152 Juneau, AK 49.30 162 5 181 153 Kansas City, MO 49.26 130 147 167 154 Las Vegas, NV 48.96 144 136 144 155 Indianapolis, IN 48.95 146 174 86 156 Louisville, KY 48.35 163 156 80 157 Milwaukee, WI 48.19 127 178 151 158 New Orleans, LA 47.64 167 135 103 159 Wilmington, DE 47.36 161 140 138 160 Montgomery, AL 46.79 158 170 95 161 Baltimore, MD 46.76 139 173 166 162 Jackson, MS 46.64 143 179 127 163 Baton Rouge, LA 46.62 152 138 163 164 Philadelphia, PA 46.23 165 161 117 165 Shreveport, LA 45.60 169 175 87 166 Columbus, GA 45.24 176 146 90 167 Cincinnati, OH 44.79 159 142 174 168 Newark, NJ 44.15 128 181 180 169 Tulsa, OK 44.14 172 87 155 170 Akron, OH 43.54 170 169 147 171 St. Louis, MO 43.44 166 167 157 172 Memphis, TN 43.42 157 180 154 173 Mobile, AL 42.15 173 171 150 174 Little Rock, AR 42.15 177 154 93 175 Augusta, GA 42.02 175 162 133 176 Birmingham, AL 41.43 174 159 168 177 Gulfport, MS 41.42 178 172 83 178 Cleveland, OH 39.36 168 176 179 179 Huntington, WV 39.09 182 80 130 180 Toledo, OH 37.99 179 164 171 181 Charleston, WV 36.21 180 89 169 182 Detroit, MI 29.06 181 182 182





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:

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? How much does where you live influence your happiness? Can money buy happiness? Do Americans place too much importance on happiness?

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 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. 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 overall 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 (~3.64 Points)

Depression Rate: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)

Suicide Rate: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)

Adequate-Sleep Rate: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)

Physical-Health Index: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)

Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults reporting good or better health.

Sports-Participation Rate: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)

Share of People Aged 12 or Older Who Used Marijuana in the Past Month: Half Weight (~1.82 Points)

Retail Opioid Prescriptions Dispensed per 100 Persons: Quarter Weight (~0.91 Points)

Illness & Disability Index: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)

Life Expectancy: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)

Food-Insecurity Rate: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)

Income & Employment - Total Points: 25

Income-Growth Rate: Double Weight (~3.33 Points)

Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Job Satisfaction: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

4+ Star Job Opportunities per Total People in the Labor Force: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Note: This metric measures the number of job opportunities at 4+ star rated companies on Glasssdoor.com per the total people in the labor force.

Job Security: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Note: This metric measures the probability of unemployment.

Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~3.33 Points)

Underemployment Rate: Double Weight (~3.33 Points)

Bankruptcy Rate: Double Weight (~3.33 Points)

Weekly Work Hours: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Commute Time: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Community & Environment - Total Points: 25

Strength of Social Ties: Full Weight (~3.57 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 (~3.57 Points)

Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Hate-Crime Incidents per Capita: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Ideal Weather: Half Weight (~1.79 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 (~1.79 Points)

Average Leisure Time Spent per Day*: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Well-Being “Community” Rank: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Note: This metric refers to the “Community” section of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, which refers to “liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community.”



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Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gallup-Sharecare, 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, Glassdoor.com, Indeed, Sharecare and WalletHub research.

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