Arlington Ranked No. 1 In Cities Evaluated For Happiness: Study

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington was named the happiest city among 90 cities evaluated for happiness, according to a new study from Smart Asset.

Arlington was ranked first by Smart Asset, with Chesapeake (No. 8) being the only other city from Virginia to make the list.

Arlington also ranked second in a 2023 ranking of the "Best Cities to Live in America," according to a list published by Niche.

Smart Asset’s study evaluated cities across the country using 11 metrics including life expectancy, household income, infrastructure and rate of marriage.

Arlington, Virginia, landed at No. 1 on the list, based on the following factors:

• Households earning $100,000 or more - 62.8 percent
• Number of mentally unhealthy days per 30 - 3.8
• Life expectancy - 85.3
• Marriage rate - 41.4 percent

Check out the full list from Smart Asset here.

Data and Methodology

Ninety of the largest U.S. cities for which data was available were evaluated across three categories: personal finance, well being, and quality of life. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey for 2022 and the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps for 2023.

Personal finance metrics included the percent of individuals earnings $100,000 or more. Well being measures noted life expectancy and the percent of residents who have health insurance. Quality of life data included the marriage rate and average traffic on major roads in the county.