(NEXSTAR) – The United States may have fallen off the list of happiest countries for the first time this year, but that doesn’t mean happy countries don’t exist. A gathering of happy people from all over the countryIn fact, ten U.S. cities were recently ranked among the happiest cities in the world.
Researchers at the London-based Quality of Life Institute recently published their latest “Happy City Index” It is one of the top 250 happiest cities in the world. They analyzed “a range of indicators that are directly related to the quality of life and well-being of its residents.”
Cities had to have a minimum of 300,000 residents, but also included “cities that performed significantly differently from other cities,” the researchers explained. The ranking was based on five areas that “directly affect well-being”: people, governance, environment, economy and mobility.
Within these areas there were 24 subcategories, such as the safety of a city’s education system or its transportation system. All 250 cities were placed into one of three groups – gold, silver or bronze – rather than receiving a numerical ranking.
The highest overall score was achieved by Aarhus, Denmark, just ahead of Zurich, Switzerland.
The 17 highest scoring cities are all European: Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria and Iceland.
While Europe dominated the Golden Group of 37 cities, one US city made it into the coveted group: Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its high score in the economy category narrowly edged out Basel, Switzerland.
In total, 10 US cities were ranked on the “Happy Cities Index.” The cities ranked “Silver” are Boston, Baltimore and the District of Columbia. The cities ranked “Bronze” are San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Madison, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Minnesota and Portland, Oregon.
Of these cities, only San Francisco has recently Top 10 happiest cities in America
Earlier this year, personal finance website SmartAssets studied the 90 largest US cities based on 11 “happiness” factors, including life expectancy, marriage rates, traffic and the number of residents earning more than $100,000 a year.
Arlington, Virginia, a city with a population of fewer than 300,000, ranked as the happiest city on the index, and SmartAsset researchers attributed Arlington’s happiness to the longer life expectancy of its residents.
San Francisco ranked 10th in the report, while Minneapolis was 14th. Portland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Boston all fell outside the top 25, while the District of Columbia, Salt Lake City, Madison and Rochester did not make the smart asset list at all.
However, researchers at the Happy Cities Index NoteIt’s hard to measure someone’s happiness based on numbers.
“There are no women or men whose happiness can be studied statistically by residing in different cities around the world. There are many other determinants that affect happiness in each place of residence.”
