A survey released in 2024 by WalletHub argued that the happiest city in America is in California, while the least happy overall is Detroit.
WalletHub used a sample of America’s 182 largest cities, assessing factors related to emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community environment to determine where We The People are happiest. Fremont, California, ranked #1 overall with WalletHub’s happiness metrics. The city was largely bolstered in the rankings thanks to having the highest share of household income, with nearly 80% making over $75,000 a year.
Overland Park, Kansas, came in at a close second as it had the lowest poverty and unemployment rates, as well as having some of the lowest food insecurity rates. “When people are able to provide what they need for their families, their happiness naturally increases,” WalletHub noted in their analysis.
When controlled for specific factors, Pearl City and Honolulu, Hawaii, had the lowest depression rates, while Lewiston, Maine, had the highest.
WalletHub also found that people worked the longest hours in Scottsdale, Arizona, Casper, Wyoming, and Dallas, Texas, despite none of these places ranking in the highest for income growth. (RELATED: STUDY: A Few US Cities Are Experiencing The Most Inflation, And It’s Probably Not Where You Think)
“There is no doubt that when people are struggling to find work or pay their bills it makes it a lot harder to be positive and see the bright side,” University of Memphis professor Dr. Kurt Kraiger told WalletHub. “But at the same time, living in a city just like that, I see people every day who are happy just by connecting with families and communities. Given that we spend about one-third of our waking hours at work, it makes sense to consider employment opportunities when you relocate. But keep in mind that we will still have to do the ‘hard work’ of being committed to others, being grateful, and radiating positivity to be happy!”
Detroit, Michigan, appears to be the least happy city in America for several reasons. It has the highest rates of separation and divorce, some of the lowest rates of sports participation and the worst sleep rate of any other city. (RELATED: Mark Wahlberg Bailed On His $90,000,000 LA Home For Remote Work Life With His Family In Nevada)
While some of these findings may be obvious, saying that California hosts some of the happiest cities seems like a stretch with this methodology. The only crimes detailed in the survey were those related to hate incidents and had nothing to do with overall community safety, crime rates and homelessness. It would be interesting to see future studies use the combined data on the statistical risk of being a victim of a crime in any particular city. My gut says these ranks would change. Well, everywhere but Detroit.