Just in time for the International Day of Happiness on March 20, personal finance website WalletHub has released its 2019 ranking of the happiest cities in the United States. Your happiness depends on a variety of factors including your family, friends, income, work, entertainment, leisure, and other things. But where you live also plays an important role in how happy you are. Here we take a look at the top 10 happiest cities in the United States.
Ranked: Top 10 happiest cities
WalletHub says the primary goal of its 2019 survey was to find out whether money can really buy happiness. The personal finance site compared more than 180 cities across the United States on 31 different indicators of happiness such as depression rate, average leisure time spent per day, income-growth rate, life expectancy, emotional well-being, poverty rate, job satisfaction, separation and divorce rate, percentage of households earning above $75,000 a year, and more.
10- San Francisco, California
San Francisco, the global technology hub, is the 10th happiest city in the country with the overall score of 67.53 points. People in the San Francisco Bay area are paid pretty well. It was ranked 2nd in terms of income and employment and 4th in terms of emotional and physical well-being. However, it lagged far behind at 125th place in terms of community & environment.
9- Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is part of the Greater Phoenix area in Arizona. The New York Times once described it as the “desert version of Miami’s South Beach” as it has a buzzing hotel scene and plenty of late night partying. In WalletHub ranking, Scottsdale scored 68.24 points. It’s the second best city in terms of community and environment. It was ranked 46th in the emotional and physical well-being category, and 13th in terms of income and employment.
8- San Jose, California
Almost every survey related to the quality of life has San Jose near the top. It has a sunny, temperate climate and a strong economy driven by technology. San Jose received a score of 68.90. It’s the best city in the United States in terms of emotional and physical well-being. The city also offers plenty of employment opportunities.
7- Grand Prairie, Texas
Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas County with a population of about 200,000 people. It received an overall score of 69.30, earning a place among the top 10 happiest cities in the country. Grand Prairie was ranked 6th in the community & environment category, 20th in terms of emotional and physical well-being, and 35th in terms of income and employment.
6- Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo received a total score of 69.57 in the WalletHub report. It was ranked 17th in emotional and physical well-being, and 20th in terms of income and employment. WalletHub praised Fargo for its low unemployment rate and separation & divorce rate, which help improve happiness.
5- Huntington Beach, California
Another Californian city makes it to the top 10 happiest cities. The seaside city is one of the best in the United States when it comes to emotional and physical well-being. It received a total score of 69.74. Huntington Beach was ranked 28th in terms of community & environment and 46th in the income and employment category.
4- Fremont, California
Fremont has a rapidly growing technology industry. It’s where Tesla manufactures its iconic electric vehicles. According to WalletHub, Fremont has the lowest separation & divorce rate (15.96%) in the country. That’s only about a third of Detroit’s 47.44%. Fremont is the best city in the US in terms of community and environment. It was ranked 10th in the emotional & physical well-being category and 37th in terms of income and employment. It received a total score of 71.17.
3- Madison, Wisconsin
Madison has been known for its progressive culture for decades. It has a relatively lower unemployment and high percentage of people with higher education degrees. The city is also known for its vibrant culture and music scene. Madison received a total score of 71.81. It’s the third best city in terms of emotional & physical well-being. It was ranked 7th in community & environment and 14th in income & employment.
2- Irvine, California
Irvine is one of the top 10 happiest cities to live in the US. It’s one of the safest cities on the planet. And it’s one of the best-run cities in the US. No wonder that most people in Irvine are living a happy life. WalletHub gave it a total score of 71.86. It’s the 14th best city when it comes to emotional and physical well-being, and 7th best city in terms of community and environment.
1- Plano, Texas
Plano holds the crown of the happiest city in the United States with a total score of 72.30. At just 14%, it has one of the lowest depression rates. The city has only 13% adults whose emotional and physical problems affect their personal happiness. Plano also has one of the lowest poverty rates at 7% and the lowest unemployment rate at 3%. If you want to live in a happy and jubilant city, you know where to go.
Has your city made it to the top 10 happiest cities in the US? If not, you might want to check out WalletHub’s full report to see where it stands.
