CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Could location be the key to contentment? That’s the premise of a recently released feature by WalletHub, which set out to measure a range of factors — besides just money — that contribute to a person’s satisfaction in life. The result is a list of “2019’s Happiest Cities in America.”
For its ranking, WalletHub analyzed more than 180 cities on 31 indicators of happiness, including rates of depression, separation and divorce, sports participation, working hours, income growth and adequate sleep. Each city was assigned a score that is a weighted average of its scores across those metrics.
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One interesting tidbit from the findings: Fayetteville, which came in at a dismal No. 181 on the measure of residents working the most hours, also has the lowest overall “happiness” score in the Carolinas at 44.17.
Charlotte, ranked No. 52 on the overall list with a score of 61.22, placed third-highest in the Carolinas.
This slideshow offers a look at where cities across the Carolinas landed on the list, starting with the lowest-ranked locale and counting up to the highest in the two states.