One Wisconsin city ranks among happiest in the United States; new report
(WFRV) – Numerous life circumstances factor into where someone chooses to live but according to a new study, where you choose to call home can have a major impact on how happy you are. So which Wisconsin city is considered the ‘happiest?’
Personal finance website SmartAsset reviewed several ‘quality of life’ factors that can impact people’s happiness level to compile its 2024 list of Where Americans Are Happiest; including income, life expectancy, marriage rates, and traffic volume.
So which city has its residents jumping for joy more than any other? Arlington, Virginia. Sitting just outside the District of Columbia, Arlington ranked within the top 10 in seven of SmartAsset’s 11 evaluated categories.
Two Wisconsin cities rank top 10 among Best Places to Live for Quality of Life
The state of Wisconsin has generally done very well in these types of lists, including being ranked the ‘Best Place to Live’ by US News & World Report for 2023-2024 and having six of America’s top 200 ‘Most Livable Small Cities’ in a 2023 SmartAsset study.
According to the list being discussed, Milwaukee has Wisconsinites cheesing with happiness in the Dairy State, coming in at #73 out of the 90 cities evaluated.
Overall, cities from 33 states made the list. California had the most at 16, followed by Florida at 12.
Study finds one place in Wisconsin that is one of the top 70 to live in the US
The table listed below shows where Milwaukee ranks among a few of the variables considered when compared to SmartAsset’s Top 10 ranks:
Rank | City | Households Earning $100K or More | # of Mentally Unhealthy Days per 30 | Life Expectancy | Marriage Rate |
1 | Arlington, Virginia | 62.8% | 3.8 | 85.3 | 41.4% |
2 | Plano, Texas | 52.5% | 4.0 | 82.2 | 56.0% |
3 | Fremont, California | 70.1% | 4.5 | 82.8 | 58.4% |
4 | San Jose, California | 61.9% | 4.0 | 84.7 | 49.3% |
5 | Seattle, Washington | 55.3% | 4.4 | 82.3 | 39.5% |
6 | Boise City, Idaho | 39.0% | 4.3 | 80.8 | 46.0% |
7 | Raleigh, North Carolina | 38.4% | 3.9 | 81.6 | 41.1% |
8 | Chesapeake, Virginia | 43.5% | 4.1 | 78.1 | 52.9% |
9 | San Francisco, California | 60.4% | 4.3 | 83.7 | 41.8% |
10 | Anchorage, Alaska | 50.5% | 3.6 | 78.7 | 46.9% |
73 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 19.4% | 4.5 | 75.9 | 28.5% |
On the other end of the spectrum, here are the Top 10 least happy cities listed from 1-10, according to SmartAsset:
Detroit, Michigan
Laredo, Texas
New Orleans, Louisiana
Newark, New Jersey
Memphis, Tennessee
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Miami, Florida
El Paso, Texas
Cleveland, Ohio
Houston, Texas
The full study can be read in detail by clicking here.
