We thought Chicago had it all, from the diverse neighborhoods and scintillating architecture to the boisterous fanbases and deletable restaurant scene—what’s not to love? Well, apparently, a lot because Chicago didn’t make the cut when it came to the happiest city to live in Illinois.
WalletHub recently released a list of the top 182 happiest cities in the U.S., and the happiest city is about an hour and a half drive away from Chicago—Aurora, IL.
How did WalletHub decide which is the happiest city in Illinois?
WalletHub drew upon the various findings of positive psychology research to determine which of the largest U.S. cities is home to the happiest people in America. According to WalletHub, they examined each city based on 29 key indicators of happiness, ranging from the depression rate to the income-growth rate to the average leisure time spent per day.
Aurora ranked overall 37th as the happiest city in the U.S. It had a total score of 60.04, ranking 29th in the Emotional & Physical Well-Being Ranks, 149th in Income & Employment, and 33th in Community & Environment.
What was most stunning was that not only was Chicago not the happiest city to live in Illinois, but it didn’t even make it to the top 50 happiest cities in the country.
So, where was Chicago on the list?
All the way down to the 83rd spot in the entire U.S. With a total score of 54.80, including being ranked 56 on the Emotional & Physical Well-Being Rank, 179 on Income & Employment, and 83 on Community & Environment.
Where is the happiest city in the U.S.?
WalletHub declared Fremont, CA, the happiest city. Followed by Overland Park, KS, San Jose, CA, Madison, WI, and Irvine, CA. Learn more about the top happiest places to live at WalletHub.