Bobby McFerrin can only offer so many insinuations that being happy is just a state of mind. After all, there are real, measurable factors that can help boost one's happiness level, and in some parts of the US, those factors can be found in spades. WalletHub looked at more than 180 of America's largest cities, using 30 key metrics in three main categories: emotional and physical well-being (ie, residents' physical health and quality of sleep, life expectancy, and depression and suicide rates); income and employment, which includes such metrics as job security and satisfaction, poverty rate, and commute times; and community and environment—think weather, leisure time, and how caring a city's residents are. The site found that six of the top 10 happiest US cities are found in California, with Fremont taking the No. 1 spot. The other cities that fill out that list:
- Fremont, Calif. (No. 1 in "Emotional and Physical Well-Being" category)
- Columbia, Md.
- San Francisco (No. 1 in "Income and Employment" category)
- San Jose, Calif.
- Irvine, Calif.
- Madison, Wis.
- Seattle
- Overland Park, Kan.
- Huntington Beach, Calif.
- San Diego
Check out
WalletHub's complete list to see where other cities fell on the happiness spectrum. (
Here, the US cities where people really care.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
