A new report examined the happiest cities in the United States. You might be surprised to learn that Texas didn’t show up until Plano in 29th place.
Happiness can be challenging to find, especially in a time of economic difficulties, which is a source of stress for over 83% of adults. People spend a great deal of time searching for happiness, but location proves to be a major key in finding it.
A recent report by WalletHub ranked 182 cities according to a number of factors, including emotional and physical well-being, income and employment and community and environment. The study then examined each city based on 30 key indicators of happiness, ranging from the depression rate to the income-growth rate to the average leisure time spent per day.
One Texas city finally made the list all the way down at 29. Plano scored well in community and environment (25) but was mid-level for the other factors. The city ranked 48 for physical and emotional well-being and 56 for income and environment.
Other cities in Texas didn’t fare as well. Austin placed 49, with Irving (94), Grand Prairie (99) and Garland (101) down the list.
Fremont, California was found to be the happiest city in the country, with the city experiencing the lowest depression, separation and divorce rates. The unhappiest Cities in U.S. were Shreveport, Louisiana (180), Huntington, West Virginia (181) and Detroit, Michigan (182).
The report also found that the key ingredients to happiness include a positive mental state, a healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being. But, money only gets you so far – people who make $75,000 a year don’t get any higher satisfaction from more money. The U.S. is also one of the wealthiest countries, but it ranks only 16th on the World Happiness Report.
