Here Are the Happiest, Least Happy US Cities

Half of the top 10 cities brimming with joy are in the Golden State
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 9, 2020 11:23 AM CDT
Updated Mar 14, 2020 10:45 AM CDT
Here Are the Happiest, Least Happy US Cities
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages)

Happiness may be a state of mind, but it may also depend on the state of where you live. WalletHub looked at more than 180 of America's biggest cities to see how they ranked in terms of contentment, examining 30 metrics in three main categories: emotional and physical well-being, which includes such factors as life satisfaction, depression and suicide rates, and life expectancy; income and employment (e.g., job satisfaction, poverty and bankruptcy rates, and how many hours people work per week); and community and environment, which includes separation and divorce rates, hate-crime incidents, and how much time is spent on leisure daily. Half of the cities in the top 10 hail from California, including the No. 1 pick, Fremont. Bringing up the rear of all 182 entries: Detroit. Check out the most and least happy cities in the US:

The happiest cities:

  1. Fremont, Calif.
  2. Plano, Texas
  3. San Jose, Calif. (No. 1 in the "Emotional and Physical Well-Being" category)
  4. Irvine, Calif.
  5. Madison, Wis.
  6. Sioux Falls, SD
  7. Huntington Beach, Calif.
  8. Scottsdale, Ariz.
  9. Santa Rosa, Calif.
  10. Pearl City, Hawaii
Read on for the cities that need a happiness boost.

The least happy cities:

  1. Detroit
  2. Charleston, W. Va.
  3. Toledo, Ohio
  4. Huntington, W. Va.
  5. Cleveland
  6. Gulfport, Miss.
  7. Birmingham, Ala.
  8. Augusta, Ga.
  9. Little Rock, Ark.
  10. Mobile, Ala.
See how other cities fare here. (The cities in America where people care the most.)

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