America’s happiest cities. Researchers for decades have studied the science of happiness and concluded that some of the key ingredients include: a positive mental state (a growth mindset); strong social connections; job satisfaction; health, and financial stability. One study suggests the incremental amount of happiness stops at around $75,000 of annual income.
WalletHub examined every state and 182 US cities using 30 criteria and created a list of the happiest cities.
The Top 5 Overall Result:
- Fremont, California
- San Jose, Californina
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Overland Park, Kansas
- San Fransico, California
For Community The Top 5 Result:
- Freemont, California
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Cape Coral, Florida
- Port St. Lucie, Florida
- Nashua, New Hampshire
Many factors affect our happiness, so the study included a panel of experts who commented on various aspects of happiness, like:
- Can money buy happiness? No. The consensus: it’s far more important to have a sense of purpose and a way to give back.
- Does happiness increases or decrease with age? Yes. The consensus seemed to be a trend of more happiness in younger and older individuals and less in the 40 and 50 age group! Maybe the burden of providing for the family?
- Does where you live influence happiness? The consensus was yes with a footnote. So research suggests it’s not about the place, but the match between the place and who you are as a person combined with the family and friend connections.
I’ve lived in 8 states (VA, CO, TX, KY, OH, MI, CA, and MN) and 10 cities, and what I’ve found? Grow where you are planted! Every city, state, and region has a history, a story and a community. As I recall, Abraham Lincoln said it best:
“You are as happy as you choose to be.”
