Contrary to the popular belief that money can't buy happiness, recent research shows that living in cities with higher incomes can increase happiness levels. Sunnyvale, California, which has
more than 62 percent of its residents earning over $100,000 annually, topped the list of the ten happiest cities in America. The Golden State was home to six of the top ten cities on the list, including Fremont, San Jose, Santa Clarita, Irvine, and Roseville. Bellevue, Washington, and Frisco and Plano, Texas, also made it to the top ten, while Arlington, Virginia, was the only city in the eastern half of the United States to make the list.
SmartAsset compiled the list using 13 different metrics across three categories: personal finance, well-being, and quality of life. Sunnyvale topped the list because of its scores on the metrics of 'well-being' and 'quality of life.' At least 62.5 percent of residents in the city make $100,000 a year or more, and it has the third-lowest percentage of residents below the poverty line. The city also has a low violent crime rate and a high marriage rate. Arlington, which is home to several United States government workers in nearby Washington, has 48 percent of residents making $100,000 or more per year.
Bellevue, Washington, and Fremont, California, were second and third, respectively, in terms of the percentage of residents making at least $100,000 a year. Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, had the highest marriage rate of any of the cities studied under the metrics, along with a perfect 100 score in the 'personal finance' metric. Sunnyvale had a perfect score in the 'quality of life' metric. Sunnyvale's population was 155,805 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous city in the county. It also has a unique, unified Department of Public Safety in which all public servants are taught skills to be police officers, firefighters, and EMTs.
While California has gone through a turbulent few years due to the pandemic with higher taxes, rising crime, and a troubling homeless problem in major cities, six of the top ten cities being Californian might be a surprise. According to new research, there are 20 major cities in America that have seen house prices fall in the past year, four of which are in California. Photo by Coolcaesar (talk), Wikimedia commons.