We all strive to be our happiest selves, but depending on where you live, that could be easier for some than for others. Of course, happiness is subjective and can be affected by a number of factors, such as job security, cost of living, proximity to friends and family, and entertainment attractions.
WalletHub analyzed more than 180 of America's largest cities to determine which are the happiest in the country, including several cities in North Carolina. The report notes that money doesn't necessarily make people happy, with the U.S. being one of the richest countries in the world despite only ranking 16th on the World Happiness Report.
Here are the North Carolina cities that made the list:
- No. 22: Raleigh
- No. 46: Charlotte
- No. 71: Durham
- No. 114: Winston-Salem
- No. 130: Greensboro
- No. 170: Fayetteville
Raleigh ranked No. 22 overall, making it the happiest city in North Carolina as well as one of the happiest in the entire country thanks to its high marks in emotional & physical well-being, while Fayetteville ranked among cities with the most work hours and lowest income growth.
These are the 10 happiest cities in the U.S.:
- Fremont, California
- San Jose, California
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Overland Park, Kansas
- San Francisco, California
- Irvine, California
- Columbia, Maryland
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- South Burlington, Vermont
- Burlington, Vermont
To determine the list, WalletHub compared 182 cities across three factors: emotional & physical well-being, income & employment and community & environment. These factors were then evaluated using 30 relevant metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, physical-health index, life expectancy, food-insecurity rate, poverty rate, job satisfaction, unemployment rate, separation & divorce rate, ideal weather, hate-crime incidents per capita and many more.
Check out the full report to see more of the happiest cities in the country.