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Happiest Cities in America 2021

by Marianne Navada
written by Marianne Navada
happiest cities in America

WalletHub released its 2021 Happiest Cities in America list and here are some notable findings: 

  • Fremont, CA ranks the happiest city in America 
  • Detroit, MI ranks the lowest at #182. 
  • The happiest city in Texas is Plano, at #17. 
  • Among the top five happiest, two cities are from California and two from North Dakota. 
  • Yonkers ranks the highest city from New York state at #75 followed by New York, NY at #122. 
  • Cape Coral is the happiest city in FL, ranked #31. 
  • Among the lowest happiest score, Ohio has two cities in the bottom five, Toledo and Cleveland, which is the city with the second lowest happiness score.
  • No Hawaiian city made it to the top 10. The highest ranked is Pearl city at #14.
  • Among the top 15, 1/3 of the cities are in California.  
  • The 5 cities that saw the highest income growth: San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Oakland, CA, Denver, CO, Portland, ME. 

The Data

Using research in positive psychology, the study uses three main dimensions to measure happiness: Emotional & Physical Well-Being, Income & Employment, and Community & Environment.

What is even more informative about the study is that they included pandemic data, such as COVID-19 cases and deaths. 

On Place and Your Lifestyle

Although factors such as weather, economy, and community influence your happiness, how YOU fit in a place matters most. You can live in an affluent city with sunny weather, but struggling financially to live in the area, might lead to more stress and dissatisfaction.  

Some Details on the Data

  • Seattle, WA, has the highest sports participation rate. 
  • Jersey city, NJ has the lowest suicide rate. 
  • California cities top the lowest separation and divorce rates! Out of the top 5, four are from California and Pearl City, HI. 
Commit to living.