Skip to main content

These are the happiest cities in America

Looking for a change? The list of the happiest places to live in the U.S. is a good place to start

People crossing the street in the city, walking their bikes

What makes you the happiest about where you live? Do you think you’d be better off living somewhere else? Well, they did a little study on the 200 biggest cities in the U.S. to see where we would be the best to put down roots. If you think you might be better off in another city, check out the list of the happiest cities in America before you make your next move.

How the city makes the cut

We should say a lot of this is financially motivated, because, well, isn’t that how it is? The happiest places to live in the U.S. require a few provisions to make it on the list.

The factors

  • Well-being
  • Quality of life
  • Finances

Things like the work commute, poverty level, health insurance, cost of living, and a salary over $100,000 played a part in the rankings. There were 13 specific categories under the three main factors that they scored, and the places with the highest overall numbers ranked supreme.

The top 3 cities

Third place – Bellevue, Washington

  • Overall score 92.37

If you care about having the highest possible quality of life, Bellevue, Washington, is where to go. Bellevue boasts over 60% of residents banking $100,000 a year while having only 8% of residents living under the poverty line.

Second place – Arlington, Virginia

  • Overall score 93.59

With 48% of people making over $100,000 a year and only needing 35% of that money to live, Arlington, Virginia, doesn’t seem like a bad spot to land. If your overall well-being is important to you, Arlington scores almost 100% in that category.

First place – Sunnyvale, California

  • Overall score 94.74

With the top score of 100% for quality of life and a close 97.72% well-being score, Sunnyvale, California is the top spot to live to have a cozy life. Well, in the U.S. In addition to having financial security, residents in Sunnyvale don’t have to worry that much about crime, as the rate is 149 crimes per 100,000 people.

A busy street with a trolly going down it

The top cities as a whole

California knows something we don’t

If you look at the Top 10 as a group, you’ll find a pattern that leads to California. The state claims 60% of the Top 10 happiest cities in America, with Fremont, Roseville, San Jose, Santa Clarita, and Irvine rounding things out. Taking it to the Top 50, California holds down 34% of the spots on the happiest list.

Texas had a good run

Texas had two cities in the Top 10, with Frisco and Plano taking the number five and six spots. They have different reasons and metrics that got them into the top, but their overall scores of 85.72 for Frisco and 84.59 for Plano are still impressive.

The least happy spots

If you want to keep your positive vibes where they are, there are cities to avoid.

  • Birmingham, Alabama
  • Newark, New Jersey
  • Memphis, Tennessee

While the West Coast dominates the happiest places in the U.S., look at the whole list to see if there’s anywhere you might have your eye on. If you aren’t feeling where you live right now, there are 50 options for big city life where there’s no shortage of hood living.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Dannielle Beardsley
Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. She loves everything celebrity and her favorite…
Ranking the 10 best Dustin Hoffman movies of all time
Dustin Hoffman's best movies are varied and incredible!
Dustin Hoffman

If you are a movie buff, or you had a family member who grew up in the 1970s, it's surely impossible for you to not have heard of the legendary Dustin Hoffman. Ranking right up alongside the iconic Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman's style was much more everyman and antihero than these other big names. Hoffman was able to provide a strange sense of comfort when he starred in a film, even if his characters made questionable choices along the way. Even though he's not as active in his 80s, Hoffman is still acting and will appear in the fourth Kung Fu Panda movie alongside Jack Black. We're here to rank the best Dustin Hoffman movies so you can catch up on all of his greatest hits!

10. Straw Dogs (1971)

Read more
Cigar humidor 101: What they are, how they work, and our top picks
cigar humidor

Some things get better as they age, including red wines, good cigars, and George Clooney. Ah, but that red wine will swill if stored upright in a warm, sunny room. And if overexposure to heat, cold, a glut of humidity, or even overly-dry conditions, your prized Montecristo or Highclere stogie will soon taste like ash.

Let's talk about good cigars for a hot minute, specifically proper cigar storage, which depends on having a great humidor. Cigars need precisely controlled temperature and moisture levels to keep them fresh for long-term storage, and without a humidor, you won't be able to keep them at the proper humidity. A cigar will lose quality in less than two weeks without proper storage. With proper storage, however, cigars can improve with age. A smaller, paler cigar may be at its peak flavor profile after six months of careful storage, while a larger, darker, and more robust cigar may be at its best after two or three years.

Read more
Ranking the 10 Best Samuel L. Jackson Movies
With so many Samuel L. Jackson movies, how do you choose the best ones?
best samuel l jackson movies

Samuel L. Jackson absolutely loves to act. How can you argue otherwise? Jackson has appeared in nearly 200 movies in his career, a whopping total that demonstrates his willingness to take on small and large projects, staring and supporting roles. No matter whether a movie is good or bad, you can count on Jackson to make the viewing experience better. More than just his signature expletives, Jackson is a talented dramatic performer and a witty jokester all in one. We want to celebrate his diverse filmography by ranking the 10 best Samuel L. Jackson movies of all time. You'll find violent Tarantino movies, Pixar classics, and even some science fiction work as a purple lightsaber-wielding Jedi.

 

Read more