Happiest state in the union? California dominates list of cheerful cities, report says
The Golden State has 10 of the Top 20 happiest cities in the United States for 2020, Wallethub reports.
The San Francisco Bay Area city of Fremont takes top honors in the report.
So what makes a happy city?
The personal finance website assessed 182 cities on a number of factors that fall under three key categories: emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment, the report said.
The report also drew upon happiness research including “Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences” and “Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data.”
Here’s where California cities fall in the Top 20 rankings after Fremont in the top spot. San Jose ranks third, with Irvine fourth and Huntington Beach seventh. Santa Rosa takes the ninth spot, with San Francisco 14th.
Santa Clarita, Oceanside, Glendale and Anaheim fill slots 16 through 19.
The other Top 10 happy cities across the nation were Plano, Texas; Madison, Wisconsin; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Pearl City, Hawaii.
The unhappiest city on the list? That would be Detroit, the report said, followed by Charleston, West Virginia; Toledo, Ohio; Huntington, West Virginia; and Cleveland.