Happiness is more than feel-good neurons firing across our brains. It’s what makes the hard times bearable. For many of us, it’s a reason for being.
Where we live can have a tremendous impact on how we perceive our world and, ultimately, how content we feel. Which is why this list from WalletHub is so helpful for those looking to improve their quality of life.
The credit scoring site compared more than 180 of the largest cities in America across 31 measures of happiness. The researchers looked at suicide and depression rates, food insecurity, life expectancy, income, unemployment, job security, divorce rates, hate crimes, leisure time, and even the number of opioid prescriptions in a given city.
Plenty of California locales made the list. These include Irvine (#2), Fremont (#4), Huntington Beach (#5), San Jose (#8), San Francisco (#10), Santa Rosa (#13), Glendale (#17), and San Diego (#18).
Here were the top 10 happiest cities according to WalletHub:
1. Plano, TX
2. Irvine, CA
3. Madison, WI
4. Fremont, CA
5. Huntington Beach, CA
6. Fargo, ND
7. Grand Prairie, TX
8. San Jose, CA
9. Scottsdale, AZ
10. San Francisco, CA
Data is reported and compiled by WalletHub. Report does not reflect statistics on all U.S. or California cities.