Vermont has two cities rated among 'Happiest' in the nation

Submitted by tim on Tue, 04/04/2023 - 04:04

Vermont Business Magazine It can be hard to be happy in 2023 when faced with economic difficulties like high inflation, which is a source of stress for over 83% of adults. Therefore, it’s vital for people to boost their happiness however they can, whether through family, friends, activities, entertainment or work. What people might not realize is that where they live may also determine how happy they are.

Location plays a hand in how bright or gloomy our days are. For years, researchers have studied the science of happiness and found that its key ingredients include a positive mental state, healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being. However, money can only make you so happy – people who make $75,000 a year won’t get any higher satisfaction from more money. Consider also the fact that while the US is one of the richest countries, it ranks only 16th on the World Happiness Report.

But not everywhere in the U.S. experiences a uniform level of happiness. As this study aims to illustrate, moving to a certain city may help you be more content. WalletHub drew upon the various findings of positive-psychology research in order to determine which among more than 180 of the largest US cities is home to the happiest people in America. They examined each city based on 30 key indicators of happiness, ranging from the depression rate to the income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day.

Vermont had two cities in the Top Ten: South Burlington ranked 9th, mostly for its Emotional & Physical Well-Being; and Burlington ranked 10th, by finishing first in the Income & Employment category. Turns out South Burlington is best in the sub-categories of Sleep and Sports and Burlington is best for Work Hours (see below). Overall, Fremont, CA, ranked first and nearby San Jose finished second. The last two on the list were Huntington, WV, and Detroit.

To see which states combine all the necessary components of happiness, see WalletHub’s report on the Happiest States in America (Vermont was 34th).

Happiest Cities in the U.S.

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Emotional & Physical Well-Being	Income & Employment	Community & Environment
1	Fremont, CA	76.10	1	34	1
2	San Jose, CA	70.35	2	3	64
3	Madison, WI	69.72	5	41	8
4	Overland Park, KS	68.93	6	87	6
5	San Francisco, CA	68.73	4	8	69
6	Irvine, CA	67.83	8	40	18
7	Columbia, MD	67.71	3	176	28
8	Sioux Falls, SD	67.02	10	72	21
9	South Burlington, VT	66.51	11	25	47
10	Burlington, VT	65.83	28	1	11
11	Seattle, WA	65.59	7	4	119
12	Bismarck, ND	64.12	24	44	23
13	Oakland, CA	64.08	9	50	99
14	Huntington Beach, CA	64.04	14	52	53
15	San Diego, CA	63.98	21	28	27
16	Scottsdale, AZ	63.48	45	66	2
17	Minneapolis, MN	62.63	12	15	113
18	Yonkers, NY	62.50	17	118	44
19	Aurora, IL	62.49	16	154	15
20	Fargo, ND	62.42	23	47	67
21	Portland, ME	62.38	22	7	123
22	Raleigh, NC	62.37	13	77	76
23	Anaheim, CA	62.09	35	38	45
24	Garden Grove, CA	62.01	30	39	63
25	Chula Vista, CA	61.90	33	57	36
26	Santa Rosa, CA	61.52	26	19	95
27	Glendale, CA	61.29	46	69	19
28	Oxnard, CA	61.12	47	86	9
29	Plano, TX	61.02	48	56	25
30	Gilbert, AZ	60.91	54	62	13
31	Santa Clarita, CA	60.51	36	121	37
32	Jersey City, NJ	60.45	29	133	50
33	Honolulu, HI	60.40	25	64	81
34	Lincoln, NE	60.29	19	88	97
35	Charleston, SC	60.23	65	21	31
36	Oceanside, CA	60.23	37	71	65
37	Pembroke Pines, FL	59.97	49	139	7
38	Anchorage, AK	59.96	42	84	57
39	Salt Lake City, UT	59.94	62	35	46
40	Boise, ID	59.86	31	2	149
41	Omaha, NE	59.62	44	91	60
42	Sacramento, CA	59.51	60	10	70
43	Rapid City, SD	59.48	51	23	86
44	Santa Ana, CA	59.34	53	5	93
45	Portland, OR	59.33	27	63	118
46	Charlotte, NC	59.29	40	70	80
47	Boston, MA	59.28	34	9	147
48	Aurora, CO	59.20	43	116	55
49	Austin, TX	58.87	52	26	87
50	Washington, DC	58.69	15	129	138
51	Chandler, AZ	58.66	63	95	43
52	Cape Coral, FL	58.66	82	90	3
53	Fort Lauderdale, FL	58.52	66	75	32
54	Tempe, AZ	58.40	69	43	49
55	Pearl City, HI	58.18	18	148	158
56	Juneau, AK	58.00	20	73	177
57	New York, NY	57.99	61	152	16
58	Denver, CO	57.96	32	104	128
59	Chesapeake, VA	57.95	70	131	10
60	Nashua, NH	57.85	85	78	5
61	Tampa, FL	57.85	79	29	34
62	West Valley City, UT	57.64	81	51	20
63	Virginia Beach, VA	57.59	64	120	51
64	Cedar Rapids, IA	57.58	50	94	104
65	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	57.45	75	33	52
66	Miami, FL	57.45	58	27	117
67	Peoria, AZ	57.37	71	126	14
68	Bridgeport, CT	57.05	57	161	24
69	Nampa, ID	56.88	72	22	83
70	Grand Rapids, MI	56.84	87	12	54
71	Durham, NC	56.83	39	76	141
72	Colorado Springs, CO	56.77	80	59	41
73	St. Paul, MN	56.74	38	106	139
74	Chicago, IL	56.72	41	174	58
75	Orlando, FL	56.66	76	18	79
76	Los Angeles, CA	56.02	56	81	129
77	Des Moines, IA	55.96	55	92	136
78	Pittsburgh, PA	55.47	95	13	59
79	Long Beach, CA	55.46	59	123	112
80	Manchester, NH	55.28	106	65	12
81	Missoula, MT	55.05	73	37	133
82	Mesa, AZ	55.05	84	89	62
83	Ontario, CA	54.97	104	32	35
84	St. Petersburg, FL	54.93	90	20	94
85	Providence, RI	54.92	103	6	73
86	Hialeah, FL	54.84	68	137	88
87	Moreno Valley, CA	54.79	96	82	29
88	Port St. Lucie, FL	54.61	123	54	4
89	Riverside, CA	54.60	89	16	108
90	Cheyenne, WY	54.50	78	60	121
91	Warwick, RI	54.30	67	134	143
92	Fontana, CA	54.27	105	61	33
93	Reno, NV	53.40	100	17	97
94	Irving, TX	53.23	98	53	84
95	Tallahassee, FL	52.88	128	11	56
96	Tacoma, WA	52.75	77	150	105
97	Atlanta, GA	52.36	91	101	116
98	Columbia, SC	52.20	126	68	38
99	Grand Prairie, TX	52.18	120	109	48
100	Wilmington, DE	52.15	116	147	17
101	Garland, TX	52.04	112	105	72
102	Rochester, NY	51.81	118	79	82
103	Las Cruces, NM	51.76	101	83	120
104	Worcester, MA	51.65	74	117	171
105	New Haven, CT	51.60	110	31	145
106	Henderson, NV	51.55	133	135	22
107	Glendale, AZ	51.54	93	132	100
108	Vancouver, WA	51.48	86	113	154
109	Milwaukee, WI	51.31	83	171	90
110	Laredo, TX	51.21	124	14	124
111	Jacksonville, FL	51.20	132	103	42
112	Phoenix, AZ	51.20	88	111	148
113	Fort Worth, TX	51.01	119	119	78
114	Winston-Salem, NC	50.97	108	115	96
115	Billings, MT	50.84	99	42	167
116	Brownsville, TX	50.47	136	67	68
117	Modesto, CA	50.40	131	46	102
118	El Paso, TX	50.18	107	151	89
119	Stockton, CA	50.18	115	85	132
120	Lewiston, ME	49.99	146	24	61
121	Buffalo, NY	49.86	122	100	111
122	Nashville, TN	49.55	111	130	130
123	Arlington, TX	49.45	114	140	115
124	Dallas, TX	49.23	113	99	153
125	Newark, NJ	49.16	102	163	110
126	Fresno, CA	49.14	129	55	135
127	Norfolk, VA	49.06	109	156	125
128	Albuquerque, NM	49.04	92	98	174
129	Houston, TX	48.83	94	145	157
130	Greensboro, NC	48.77	97	108	168
131	Wichita, KS	48.38	130	136	101
132	San Bernardino, CA	48.25	140	36	131
133	Oklahoma City, OK	48.16	145	146	40
134	Tucson, AZ	47.83	134	93	137
135	Bakersfield, CA	47.58	143	102	107
136	Salem, OR	47.38	117	96	178
137	Spokane, WA	47.36	139	48	152
138	Fort Wayne, IN	47.30	142	138	85
139	Las Vegas, NV	47.08	153	157	39
140	Newport News, VA	46.70	127	165	126
141	Lexington-Fayette, KY	46.63	125	144	151
142	Huntsville, AL	46.55	157	124	30
143	Columbus, OH	46.53	121	149	163
144	North Las Vegas, NV	46.38	160	160	26
145	San Antonio, TX	46.23	141	112	146
146	Little Rock, AR	46.06	148	143	75
147	Kansas City, MO	45.84	137	127	159
148	Philadelphia, PA	45.63	151	128	103
149	Dover, DE	45.58	155	125	92
150	Baltimore, MD	45.18	138	172	109
151	Tulsa, OK	45.11	162	110	77
152	Indianapolis, IN	44.72	150	167	91
153	Springfield, MO	44.64	170	74	71
154	Richmond, VA	44.60	135	162	161
155	St. Louis, MO	44.55	147	153	127
156	Amarillo, TX	44.51	164	122	74
157	Louisville, KY	44.46	149	159	114
158	New Orleans, LA	44.08	152	49	172
159	Corpus Christi, TX	43.96	158	97	134
160	Casper, WY	43.89	144	155	165
161	Lubbock, TX	43.61	163	58	155
162	Knoxville, TN	41.98	166	80	164
163	Cincinnati, OH	41.26	156	141	173
164	Birmingham, AL	40.68	167	158	144
165	Fort Smith, AR	40.23	179	45	122
166	Mobile, AL	39.79	174	177	66
167	Chattanooga, TN	39.66	154	175	176
168	Akron, OH	39.65	165	168	156
169	Baton Rouge, LA	39.61	169	114	175
170	Fayetteville, NC	38.84	168	164	169
171	Charleston, WV	38.75	176	30	170
172	Toledo, OH	38.29	175	142	160
173	Gulfport, MS	37.82	172	170	162
174	Columbus, GA	37.51	178	166	106
175	Jackson, MS	37.33	161	181	179
176	Augusta, GA	36.41	173	179	166
177	Memphis, TN	35.48	159	182	181
178	Montgomery, AL	35.40	177	173	142
179	Cleveland, OH	34.16	171	169	182
180	Shreveport, LA	33.21	180	180	150
181	Huntington, WV	32.83	182	107	140
182	Detroit, MI	30.60	181	178	180

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Sub-Categories

Depression Rate

Lowest

1. Fremont, CA
2. Pearl City, HI
3. Honolulu, HI
4. San Jose, CA
5. Irvine, CA

Depression Rate

Highest

178. Spokane, WA
179. Vancouver, WA
180. Knoxville, TN
181. Charleston, WV
182. Huntington, WV

Best City vs. Worst City: 3x Difference

Fremont, CA vs. Huntington, WV

Adequate-Sleep Rate

Highest

1. South Burlington, VT
2. Madison, WI
3. Portland, OR
4. Burlington, VT
5. Seattle, WA

Adequate-Sleep Rate

Lowest

T-178. Birmingham, AL
T-178. Augusta, GA
180. Montgomery, AL
181. Cleveland, OH
182. Detroit, MI

Best City vs. Worst City: 2x Difference

South Burlington, VT vs. Detroit, MI

Sports-Participation Rate

Highest

1. South Burlington, VT
2. Seattle, WA
3. Overland Park, KS
4. Scottsdale, AZ
5. Missoula, MT

Sports-Participation Rate

Lowest

178. Brownsville, TX
179. Shreveport, LA
180. Miami, FL
181. Laredo, TX
182. Hialeah, FL

Best City vs. Worst City: 2x Difference

South Burlington, VT vs. Hialeah, FL

Suicide Rate

Lowest

1. Newark, NJ
2. Jersey City, NJ
3. New York, NY
4. Columbia, MD
5. Yonkers, NY

Suicide Rate

Highest

T-177. Colorado Springs, CO
T-177. Billings, MT
T-177. Juneau, AK
T-177. Rapid City, SD
T-177. Casper, WY

Best City vs. Worst City: 8x Difference

Newark, NJ vs. Casper, WY

Work Hours

Fewest

1. Burlington, VT
2. Tallahassee, FL
T-3. New Haven, CT
T-3. Huntington, WV
5. Bridgeport, CT

Work Hours

Most

178. Dallas, TX
179. Scottsdale, AZ
T-180. Fayetteville, NC
T-180. Casper, WY
182. Norfolk, VA

Income Growth

Highest

1. Oakland, CA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Miami, FL
4. San Bernardino, CA
5. Seattle, WA

Income Growth

Lowest

178. Fayetteville, NC
179. Charleston, WV
180. Shreveport, LA
181. Casper, WY
182. Juneau, AK

Best City vs. Worst City: 11x Difference

Oakland, CA vs. Juneau, AK

Separation & Divorce Rate

Lowest

1. Fremont, CA
2. Irvine, CA
3. Pearl City, HI
4. Gilbert, AZ
5. San Jose, CA

Separation & Divorce Rate

Highest

178. Wilmington, DE
179. Rochester, NY
180. Birmingham, AL
181. Detroit, MI
182. Cleveland, OH

Best City vs. Worst City: 5x Difference

Fremont, CA vs. Cleveland, OH

Methodology

In order to determine the happiest cities in America, WalletHub compared 182 of the largest cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Income & Employment and 3) Community & Environment.

We evaluated these categories using 30 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Our analysis draws upon the findings of the following research, each of which has indicated a correlation between our data and happiness:

Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity (Chan and Diener, 2010)
Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences (Bhattacharjee and Mogilner, 2014)
Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data (Huang and Humphreys, 2010)
Unhappy Cities (Glaeser, et al., 2014)

Emotional & Physical Well-Being - Total Points: 50

Life-Satisfaction Index: Full Weight (~2.82 Points)
Depression Rate: Double Weight (~5.63 Points)
Suicide Rate: Full Weight (~2.82 Points)
Adequate-Sleep Rate: Double Weight (~5.63 Points)
Physical-Health Index: Double Weight (~5.63 Points)
Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults reporting good or better health.
Sports-Participation Rate: Double Weight (~5.63 Points)
Share of People Aged 12 or Older Who Used Marijuana in the Past Month: Half Weight (~1.41 Points)
Retail Opioid Prescriptions Dispensed per 100 Persons: Quarter Weight (~0.70 Points)
Share of Adults with Mental Health Not Good: Double Weight (~5.63 Points)
Note: This metric measures the percentage of adults with 14 or more mentally unhealthy days reported in the past month.
Life Expectancy: Full Weight (~2.82 Points)
Food-Insecurity Rate: Double Weight (~5.63 Points)
Percentage of Residents Who Are Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19: Double Weight (~5.63 Points)

Income & Employment - Total Points: 25

Income-Growth Rate: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)
Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
Job Satisfaction: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
4+ Star Job Opportunities per Total People in the Labor Force: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of job opportunities at 4+ star rated companies on Glasssdoor.com per the total people in the labor force.
Job Security: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
Note: This metric measures the probability of unemployment.
Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)
Underemployment Rate: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)
Bankruptcy Rate: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)
Weekly Work Hours: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)
Commute Time: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)

Community & Environment - Total Points: 25

WalletHub’s "Most Caring Cities" Ranking: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Hate-Crime Incidents per Capita: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Ideal Weather: Half Weight (~1.79 Points)
Note: This metric uses data from WalletHub’s "Cities with the Best & Worst Weather" ranking.
Acres of Parkland per 1,000 Residents: Half Weight (~1.79 Points)
Average Leisure Time Spent per Day*: Double Weight (~7.14 Points)
Well-Being “Community” Index Score: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: This metric refers to the “Community” section of the Sharecare Well-Being Index, which refers to “liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community.”

Sources: WalletHub. Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sharecare-Boston University School of Public Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Feeding America, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, The Trust for Public Land, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Glassdoor.com, Indeed and WalletHub research.