Charlotte is on list of happiest cities in America, says study. See where we ranked
Charlotte is known for banking, breweries and NASCAR.
How about happy?
A new study that measures the emotional well-being of American cities features Charlotte in the middle of the pack.
Of more than 180 of the largest cities in the U.S., Charlotte ranked as the 46th happiest, according to a report from WalletHub, a personal finance website. Raleigh came in at No. 22 on the list.
To rank each city, WalletHub compared them across three categories: emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment.
According to the report, Charlotte received its lowest marks in community and environment, coming in at No. 80. The score was calculated based on metrics like the separation and divorce rate, hate crime incidents per capita, and ideal weather.
Census data show that 1 in 10 Charlotte residents over the age of 15 was divorced in 2021, and 2% were separated.
There were 16 hate crimes reported by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in 2021, down from 18 reported the previous year, according to the most recent data available from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.
Charlotte ranked 70th in income and employment, a position based on factors such as the share of households earning annual incomes more than $75,000, poverty rate and unemployment rates.
Nearly 48% of households in Charlotte earn more than $75,000 annually, according to the latest census data. The poverty rate in Charlotte was 11.6% in 2021, census data also show.
Charlotte was ranked the highest in emotional and physical well-being, at No. 40. The score was calculated based on factors like the share of adults who receive mental health treatment and life expectancy.
According to a survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency that leads public health efforts to advance behavioral health, 17.5% of adults received mental health treatment.
Fremont, California was ranked No. 1 in the report, followed by San Jose, California, Madison, Wisconsin, Overland Park, Kansas and San Francisco.
