Walking on Sunshine: where America’s happiest singles live

happiest single

On March 20th the world celebrated the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness. As part of this notable day, the UN released its annual World Happiness Report, a study that ranks countries based on the happiness of their citizenry. And, out of 155 nations, America came 14th!

America’s top 20 finish in the Happiness Report indicates that it is one of the happiest countries in the world, beating other leading countries such as Germany (16th) and United Kingdom (19th), and closer to home, Brazil (22nd) and Mexico (25th). Intrigued to know more, EliteSingles conducted their own research, based on anonymous user data from over 100,000 individuals to discover where the happiest singles in America live.

America’s top 10 happiest places

At EliteSingles we understand the value of happiness as an essential ingredient in a healthy relationship and in quality of life. Given that the USA made it into a top 20 position, we wanted to know more about the happiness levels in America, and how happiness was distributed by researching the top 10 happiest towns and cities.

Based on anonymous user data collated from over 100,000 single American men and women registered with EliteSingles, we examined how highly respondents ranked themselves when asked how happy they felt. From this we were then able to look at the average result by location, and geographically pinpoint where America’s happiest singles are located.

So, if you’re eager to meet a special someone with a smile on their dial, here are the top 10 places in America where you would be able to find a happy partner…

  1. Rochester Hills, MI
  2. Chula Vista, CA
  3. Delray Beach, FL
  4. Corona, CA
  5. Temecula, CA
  6. Spring, TX
  7. Mckinney, TX
  8. Oak Hill, FL
  9. Orange, CA
  10. Tigard, OR

Happiness: water, smiles, and sunshine

After a quick peek at the map, it’s easy to see that, while happy Americans can be found nationwide, most of the happiest singles are clustered in the top 5 happiest states of Michigan, California, Florida, Texas and Oregon!

On the top spot for America’s happiest singles is Rochester Hills, Michigan. Having a population of approximately 70,000 people, this cheerful community celebrates a happy win against the other top two contenders – Chula Vista, California, and Delray Beach, Florida. Interestingly all of the top three happiest cities are located near a significant body of water and are close to, but outside of, a major city. They also all have a population of less than 300,000. Rochester Hills is nestled between the Great Lakes, Lake Erie and Lake Huron, and is an easy drive into Detroit. Chula Vista enjoys the beautiful San Diego Bay and is only a few miles outside of downtown San Diego, while Delray Beach basks in the sunshine of the Palm Beach coastline, with a picturesque drive to nearby Miami. It seems there may be a secret formula to happiness and, as they say, there is something in the water.

Out of the rest of the top ten cities, three more are in California – Corona (4), Temecula (5) and Orange (9), all within a 100 mile radius of each other, close to the coastline and Los Angeles. California clearly seems to be the happiest state, boasting 4 towns in the American happiest singles top 10! Texas had strong competitors with Spring and Mckinney coming in at number 6 and 7 respectively, and Oak Hill, Florida, also enjoying sea and sunshine, comes in at number 8. The highest ranked happiest singles are topped off with Tigard, Oregon, the northern most city in the top ten. Looking at the map, it appears that the secret to happiness lies in medium sized cities, close to water with a fair dose of sunshine, as none of the inland states feature in the top ten towns and cities with the happiest singles.

If the place you call home made it into our top 10, we’re confident it will be another excuse to keep on smiling. If it didn’t make the cut, don’t be too disheartened. As the report revealed, we should be content that, as a country, we’re amongst the happiest folk in the world. And what’s not to celebrate about that?

Why it is important: what is the World Happiness Report?

The importance of happiness should never be underestimated – after all it’s a basic human need that’s vital to leading a rich and fulfilling life. There are a whole host of different variables that contribute to happiness; no wonder why it’s a subject that’s been mulled over by some of the most amazing minds throughout history. Philosophizing aside, having a happy relationship with a partner is a central part of feeling content, and that’s one of the reasons EliteSingles’ is always so intrigued by the World Happiness Report.

The report in question is a large-scale quantitative survey that assesses the state of global happiness. Released in tandem with the United Nation’s (UN) International Day of Happiness, an event established in 2012 by UN advisor Jayme Illien, the report ranks 155 countries based on their happiness levels.

2017’s edition is the fifth of its kind to be released. One of its main purposes is to inform executive debates the UN has on happiness and well-being. It continues to gain recognition from governments, NGOs and civil societies worldwide as a reliable indicator of happiness. Given that happiness is widely regarded as integral to social progress, the study is increasingly being used by policymakers to design and implement legislation.

Looking for a happy relationship? Start here. On the back of World Happiness Day, we’ve found the cities that that are home to America’s happiest singles

About the author: Zoe Coetzee

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