WASHINGTON — Three cities in Virginia were ranked among the Top 25 places in the country where "Americans are happiest," according to a study by Smart Asset.
"To uncover the happiest places in America, we analyzed the 200 largest cities, 164 of which had available data," Smart Asset said. "We looked at 13 different metrics across three categories: personal finance, well-being and quality of life."
While Virginia cities took three spots on the list, one of those was ranked number two on the list.
Arlington
Arlington, Virginia took the second spot on the list, just under the city ranked number one – Sunnyvale, California.
Here's what Smart Asset had to say about Arlington:
"While Arlington, Virginia ranks in the top seven across all three categories measured (personal finances, well-being and quality of life), the city ranks highest in the former. Specifically, roughly 48% of Arlington’s residents earn $100,000 or more (No. 5). Additionally, living costs make up less than 35% of the median household income (No. 6). The county in which Arlington is located also has the lowest amount of personal bankruptcy filings."
While Arlington took the number two spot on the list, two other Virginia cities made the Top 25. Alexandria came in at number 13 and Virginia Beach came in at number 22.
"Research shows that in some cases, money does lead to happiness," Smart Asset said. "In fact, a 2021 University of Pennsylvania study found a correlation between happiness and income growth, even past an annual income of $80,000. This is in contrast to previous research that found happiness stagnated after an individual earned $75,000. However, not all places can offer the same level of happiness, as some cities offer more economic opportunities and a better quality of life than others."
For Smart Asset's list of cities and the methodology used to make the ranking, you can visit their website here.