Is this Florida’s most miserable city? Here’s what the numbers show

Orlando, Tampa and more rated as part of nationwide happiness study

Published: April 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Tags: Florida Ranked, Jacksonville, Features

WalletHub has released its list of the “Happiest Cities in America,” examining which places in the country are getting the most out of life.

The study examines factors like mental health, physical health, social connections and job satisfaction to determine how these cities fared. This means that money isn’t the only thing that WalletHub considered.

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“Money can only make you so happy — people who make $75,000 a year won’t get any higher satisfaction from more money. Consider also the fact that while the U.S. is one of the richest countries, it ranks only 23rd on the World Happiness Report,” the study reads. “But not everywhere in the U.S. experiences a uniform level of happiness. As this study aims to illustrate, moving to a certain city may help you be more content.”

In crafting this ranking, WalletHub looked at over 180 of the country’s largest cities, using the following metrics to figure out their placements:

Emotional and Physical Well-Being: Includes rates of depression, suicide, adequate sleep, sports participation, marijuana users, retail opioid prescriptions, “not good” mental health, food insecurity, and life expectancy
Income and Employment: Includes rates of income growth, households earning annual incomes over $75,000, poverty, job satisfaction, unemployment, underemployment, bankruptcy, weekly work hours, commute time, and job security
Community and Environment: Includes rates of separation/divorce, hate crimes, ideal weather, acres of parkland, leisure time, and “community” well-being

When it comes to the Sunshine State as a whole, FL

orida placed No. 14, ranking particularly high for emotion and physical well-being.

However, the highest-ranking Florida city on the list was all the way down at No. 39: Pembroke Pines in Broward County. The South Florida city scored relatively well in terms of health and community, though it floundered when it came to income and employment.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jacksonville scored as Florida’s least happy city on the list, scoring just under 50 points and closing in at No. 119.

Like Pembroke Pines, Jacksonville managed to garner a solid rank when it came to its community and overall environment, though it lagged behind in virtually all other categories.

Meanwhile, the full WalletHub ranking is as follows:

Rank	City	State	Total Score	Well-Being Rank	Income Rank	Community Rank
1	Fremont	CA	73.54	1	93	4
2	San Jose	CA	69.34	3	45	10
3	Irvine	CA	69.32	2	62	14
4	Sioux Falls	SD	68.66	9	53	5
5	Overland Park	KS	66.93	4	59	47
6	Lincoln	NE	66.59	25	51	1
7	Madison	WI	65.83	15	24	9
8	Scottsdale	AZ	65.17	22	10	15
9	San Francisco	CA	64.96	6	68	43
10	Huntington Beach	CA	64.70	11	80	39
11	Bismarck	ND	64.34	36	89	2
12	Omaha	NE	64.34	36	89	2
13	Seattle	WA	64.13	5	4	135
14	Charleston	SC	63.93	20	9	48
15	San Diego	CA	63.79	21	27	23
16	Columbia	MD	63.45	7	162	83
17	Plano	TX	62.78	13	66	51
18	Honolulu	HI	62.47	26	52	29
19	South Burlington	VT	62.47	8	7	174
20	Garden Grove	CA	62.36	32	61	13
21	Nashua	NH	61.99	50	105	3
22	Raleigh	NC	61.59	16	88	60
23	Burlington	VT	61.36	27	1	152
24	Portland	ME	61.22	30	6	94
25	Pearl City	HI	61.20	14	144	112
26	Gilbert	AZ	61.20	33	26	38
27	Chula Vista	CA	61.17	35	77	22
28	Fargo	ND	60.85	24	32	107
29	Durham	NC	60.51	28	28	75
30	Anaheim	CA	60.42	38	70	32
31	Santa Clarita	CA	60.15	31	145	28
32	Santa Rosa	CA	60.11	47	38	35
33	Rapid City	SD	60.05	66	21	11
34	Minneapolis	MN	59.87	18	36	127
35	Oakland	CA	59.87	18	36	127
36	Jersey City	NJ	59.82	17	154	67
37	Cedar Rapids	IA	59.73	48	126	12
38	Glendale	CA	59.66	41	121	26
39	Pembroke Pines	FL	59.53	37	147	27
40	Chandler	AZ	59.47	43	43	49
41	Yonkers	NY	59.28	23	141	90
42	Rancho Cucamonga	CA	59.28	56	79	24
43	Oceanside	CA	59.12	39	104	58
44	Chesapeake	VA	58.95	55	86	31
45	Boston	MA	58.91	40	18	97
46	Fort Lauderdale	FL	58.74	46	78	54
47	Manchester	NH	58.60	77	81	6
48	Santa Ana	CA	58.50	34	155	40
49	Aurora	IL	58.50	34	155	40
50	Cape Coral	FL	58.27	72	83	8
51	Boise	ID	58.16	51	8	114
52	Charlotte	NC	58.08	42	102	61
53	Cheyenne	WY	58.08	73	39	25
54	Washington	DC	58.05	12	94	173
55	Grand Rapids	MI	57.65	83	19	19
56	Missoula	MT	57.42	62	16	109
57	Juneau	AK	57.42	29	35	178
58	Anchorage	AK	57.01	63	71	63
59	Austin	TX	56.94	44	22	142
60	Virginia Beach	VA	56.90	59	92	57
61	Pittsburgh	PA	56.64	80	12	56
62	Warwick	RI	56.52	57	129	59
63	Oxnard	CA	56.33	79	122	16
64	Peoria	AZ	56.07	67	91	70
65	Des Moines	IA	55.89	70	112	45
66	Orlando	FL	55.82	78	5	102
67	Nampa	ID	55.57	75	20	111
68	New York	NY	55.52	54	156	64
69	St. Petersburg	FL	55.29	82	25	69
70	Tampa	FL	55.24	87	46	46
71	Tempe	AZ	55.18	61	17	167
72	Fontana	CA	55.09	99	72	17
73	Port St. Lucie	FL	54.86	96	49	36
74	Atlanta	GA	54.81	58	90	129
75	Portland	OR	54.76	49	96	148
76	Riverside	CA	54.62	88	41	65
77	Los Angeles	CA	54.49	71	107	81
78	St. Paul	MN	54.45	60	127	113
79	Colorado Springs	CO	54.30	81	60	77
80	Casper	WY	54.08	116	84	7
81	Irving	TX	54.02	76	69	106
82	Miami	FL	54.01	74	13	151
83	Mesa	AZ	53.98	84	40	93
84	Worcester	MA	53.98	90	99	53
85	Salt Lake City	UT	53.89	65	37	169
86	Ontario	CA	53.86	108	65	30
87	Long Beach	CA	53.61	69	148	87
88	Aurora	CO	53.60	52	158	140
89	Moreno Valley	CA	53.59	104	110	20
90	Providence	RI	53.51	120	11	52
91	Bridgeport	CT	53.38	86	170	18
92	Sacramento	CA	53.31	91	31	110
93	Chicago	IL	53.03	53	179	99
94	Henderson	NV	52.88	92	128	55
95	Billings	MT	52.88	101	56	86
96	Denver	CO	52.76	45	136	171
97	New Haven	CT	52.74	126	47	34
98	Tallahassee	FL	52.59	111	33	78
99	Albuquerque	NM	52.40	89	64	120
100	Vancouver	WA	52.26	64	117	172
101	Garland	TX	52.16	93	115	85
102	Columbia	SC	51.90	107	67	80
103	Modesto	CA	51.66	122	74	50
104	Reno	NV	51.53	103	44	116
105	Hialeah	FL	51.53	94	101	104
106	Phoenix	AZ	51.13	97	85	128
107	Wilmington	DE	51.10	102	125	92
108	Huntsville	AL	51.02	124	48	91
109	Las Cruces	NM	50.89	129	42	72
110	Winston-Salem	NC	50.70	114	58	123
111	West Valley City	UT	50.70	114	58	123
112	Stockton	CA	50.61	110	103	95
113	Grand Prairie	TX	50.44	106	146	82
114	Lexington-Fayette	KY	50.43	98	151	101
115	Tacoma	WA	50.22	85	133	161
116	Greensboro	NC	50.08	100	109	138
117	Oklahoma City	OK	49.32	145	130	21
118	Nashville	TN	49.25	133	113	74
119	Jacksonville	FL	49.17	139	123	41
120	Glendale	AZ	49.14	115	97	131
121	Kansas City	MO	48.90	113	134	124
122	Spokane	WA	48.81	135	14	150
123	Columbus	OH	48.77	127	157	73
124	Dallas	TX	48.74	95	119	163
125	Fort Worth	TX	48.49	121	138	117
126	Fresno	CA	48.33	134	73	115
127	Bakersfield	CA	48.00	137	135	68
128	Arlington	TX	47.93	118	137	136
129	Newport News	VA	47.92	123	143	139
130	Fort Wayne	IN	47.80	132	153	89
131	Milwaukee	WI	47.78	125	163	103
132	Wichita	KS	47.76	119	118	149
133	Richmond	VA	47.38	109	150	162
134	Salem	OR	47.31	117	87	177
135	San Bernardino	CA	47.23	149	76	79
136	Rochester	NY	47.12	136	95	145
137	Lewiston	ME	46.75	163	2	134
138	Newark	NJ	46.67	112	174	143
139	New Orleans	LA	46.61	148	106	88
140	Philadelphia	PA	46.42	140	114	122
141	Norfolk	VA	46.33	130	131	153
142	Tulsa	OK	46.12	167	82	37
143	Dover	DE	45.72	142	116	141
144	Springfield	MO	45.70	165	63	62
145	North Las Vegas	NV	45.62	151	160	66
146	Las Vegas	NV	45.40	140	159	118
147	Indianapolis	IN	45.28	138	173	98
148	Louisville	KY	45.20	131	177	126
149	Chattanooga	TN	44.88	160	124	71
150	Fayetteville	NC	44.74	152	132	119
151	Houston	TX	44.67	128	152	170
152	Laredo	TX	44.62	164	3	155
153	Buffalo	NY	44.53	143	100	164
154	Cincinnati	OH	44.33	156	140	108
155	Lubbock	TX	44.14	147	54	168
156	Amarillo	TX	44.08	157	98	133
157	Charleston	WV	43.93	171	15	132
158	El Paso	TX	43.90	150	139	144
159	Knoxville	TN	43.52	172	50	100
160	Little Rock	AR	43.05	153	149	154
161	Tucson	AZ	42.42	159	75	165
162	Baltimore	MD	42.31	144	172	158
163	St. Louis	MO	42.14	146	168	156
164	San Antonio	TX	42.05	154	111	175
165	Columbus	GA	41.92	162	161	125
166	Baton Rouge	LA	41.71	169	142	121
167	Corpus Christi	TX	41.48	168	55	166
168	Shreveport	LA	40.77	173	178	42
169	Akron	OH	40.02	174	164	105
170	Brownsville	TX	39.51	179	57	130
171	Augusta	GA	39.32	161	167	176
172	Jackson	MS	39.16	155	180	180
173	Mobile	AL	39.11	170	176	137
174	Montgomery	AL	38.49	158	175	181
175	Huntington	WV	37.84	182	29	44
176	Birmingham	AL	37.29	166	171	179
177	Toledo	OH	36.30	180	165	146
178	Gulfport	MS	35.89	178	169	147
179	Fort Smith	AR	35.61	181	34	157
180	Memphis	TN	34.88	175	182	160
181	Detroit	MI	34.18	177	181	159
182	Cleveland	OH	34.01	176	166	182

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Features

Is this Florida’s most miserable city? Here’s what the numbers show

Orlando, Tampa and more rated as part of nationwide happiness study

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Anthony Talcott

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