Happiness has a ZIP code.
A recent study published by WalletHub ranks the happiest cities in the US using three categories:
emotional and physical well-being; income and employment; and community and environment.
182 cities were evaluated using 29 key happiness indicators including income growth, depression rates, adequate sleep, and average daily leisure time.
Experts are hopeful these results will help guide people to their ultimate happy place.
“The ideal city provides conditions that foster good mental and physical health, like reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather, and caring neighbors,” said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst.
The exhaustive list features 182 cities and some surprising standouts.
Fremont, California, took the crown for happiness, with the highest rating for life satisfaction.
The city, located on the Southeast shore of San Francisco Bay, also has the highest percentage of households with an income above $75,000, at nearly 80%. The seaside joy capital also boasts the seventh-lowest depression rate and the fifth-highest average life expectancy in the country.
“Fremont is very walkable, the weather is usually pretty nice, sports participation is high, and average life expectancy is almost 82 years, which means that the people living there tend to stay,” said Lupo.
“They’re not going to move to Florida when they turn 65.”
Another reason Fremont residents are happy? The city has the lowest separation and divorce rate in the country and the lowest percentage of residents who report having 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month, suggesting denizens prioritize psychological and relational health.
And it would seem sharing is caring for these Californians, as Fremont also ranks fifth among the most caring cities in America.
Two additional California cities, Irvine and San Jose, ranked at number 8 and 10, respectively, while Huntington Beach, Chula Vista, and San Diego made the top 30.
The second-happiest city in our fair land, according to these statistics, is Bismarck, ND.
The Midwest capital has the largest average amount of leisure time per day, meaning residents have ample opportunity to enjoy their lives, whether that’s unwinding, relating, or cultivating personal interests.
Perhaps owing to this abundance of leisure time, Bismarck boasts the ninth-highest percentage of adults who report having good or better health and a relatively low rate of sleeplessness, translating to a well-adjusted, well-rested population.
Critically, Bismarck boasts the seventh-highest score on Sharecare’s Community Well-Being Index, a metric that determines how much residents enjoy where they live, take pride in their community and feel safe within it.
A little further east in the great state of North Dakota, Fargo took the number 5 slot for happiness.
Third place for happy and top marks for healthy go to Scottsdale, AZ.
In this desert oasis, 88% of adults report having good or better health, the third-highest percentage in the country, and nearly 87% participate in physical activities.
Scottsdale folk have both health and wealth: 65% of households in the city make over $75,000 per year, and just 7% of residents reported incomes below the poverty level in the past 12 months.
Five additional Arizona cities- Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Peoria, and Mesa all made the top 30 for happiness.
Shreveport, Memphis, and Detroit rounded out the bottom of the list.
New York City ranked at 59th for happiness, 48th for emotional and physical well-being, 152nd for income and employment, and 71st for community and environment.
The study also found that South Burlington, VT, which ranked as number 4 for happiness, had the highest adequate sleep rate, while Detroit, MI, had the lowest.
Meanwhile, Jersey City, NJ, had the lowest depression rate, while Huntington, WV, had the highest.
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