The results are in, and Fremont, California, is the happiest city in America again. The Golden State was well-represented at the top of the list. But, the South and Northeast scored shockingly low.
The full list can be found at the bottom of the story.
ONE OF AMERICA’S COLDEST CITIES NAMED COUNTRY’S BEST PLACE TO LIVE
Don’t blame hurricanes, nor’easters and the polar vortex for making these areas challenging to enjoy. WalletHub looked at 29 scientifically significant key happiness factors across the 150 largest cities in the U.S. to see if they fit into three main baskets:
Where is the weather, you ask? “Ideal weather” only accounted for less than 2% of the final score. Sports participation only loosely fits into outdoor weather.
“Some research suggests where you live, in and of itself, can directly influence your happiness. For example, people who live in places where they have access to nature and green spaces are, on average, happier,” WalletHub Expert and associate professor of the Dunesque University School of Education, Matthew Joseph, said in a statement.
“However, location is likely more of an indirect and relatively small contributor to happiness; other factors such as positive relationships (in particular, being in a satisfying long-term partnership and/or having at least a few trusted friends) and both physical and mental health play more important roles,” he continued.
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Columbia, Maryland, was the highest-ranked East Coast city at No. 9, and Portland, Maine, was the highest-ranked Northeast city at No. 17. The South doesn’t appear until No. 22 with Charleston, South Carolina.
“Location can influence happiness once basic safety, security, and shelter needs are met. Only then can individuals focus on attitude and match their actions to achieving happiness,” WalletHub Expert and Career Center Director of Snow College, Lisa Jane Laird, said in a statement. “Of course, research shows that quality of life factors such as city services, parks, recreation, and a sense of community all influence happiness, but so does attitude once basic needs are met.”
Notably absent are cities from Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho and Nebraska, which all came in the top 10 for WalletHub’s Happiest States of 2023. Lincoln, Nebraska was the best finisher at No. 19. Connecticut didn’t make the list until 105 with Bridgeport. The highest performer in the Happiest State came in at 78 with Salt Lake City.
The least happy cities were more in line with the least happy states. Louisiana came in at No. 49 out of 50, while Alabama placed 45.
One study published in a journal of the American Meteorological Society looked at weather and individual happiness. Researchers found that “happiness is maximized” at 57 degrees, and males are more sensitive to temperature than females.
“The effects of other meteorological variables – humidity, wind speed, precipitation, and sunshine – are not significant,” the authors wrote.
Houston Methodist Hospital, though, reported that temperature, sunshine and humidity had the greatest effect on mood, according to a 1984 study. Humidity actually lowers concentration and increases sleepiness.
The hospital also cited another study from 2005, which found that people who spent time outdoors in pleasant weather had higher moods and better memory, as well as a 2008 study that suggested wind, temperature and sunlight can impact negative moods, not positive moods.
WalletHub returned to its 2014 analysis of Cities with the Best and Worst Weather to award states points for ideal weather. It ranked 600 cities by season and for year-round mild weather: