California has a reputation as a wonderful place to live, work, and play but according to a recent report, it’s also home to some of the happiest places in the US. According to a recent report by financial technology company SmartAsset, California is home to 6 of the 10 happiest cities in the US, including the top spot.
The findings were based on 13 metrics across three categories: personal finances, well-being, and quality of life. After careful analysis, the city of Sunnyvale, CA was identified as the happiest place in America.
Sunnyvale was identified as having the highest percentage of people earning $100,000 or more per year, paired with a high marriage rate (56.8%) and a low rate of individuals living below the poverty level (5%). The area’s relatively low crime rate also helped their score, with only 149 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.
In contrast, SmartAsset identified Birmingham, Alabama as the least happy city in the US. The study gave a low score on metrics such as personal bankruptcy filings per capita, life expectancy, and the percentage of residents living in poverty. Birmingham was closely followed by Newark, New Jersey, and Memphis, Tennessee for the lowest ranked cities.
San Francisco was awarded the #14 spot, earning a 100 on well-being, but only a 51.4 on quality of life.
You can read the full report at the SmartAsset website.
Featured image: By Vadim Manuylov, CC BY-SA 3.0