Seattle One Of The Happiest Cities In The Country: Study

SEATTLE — Between the misty rain and gray skies, Seattle can be a little bit gloomy, and it's understandable for Seattleites to get bummed out now and again. But, the cities stereotype as a cold, dour city may be a little overstated, at least according to one new report.

That study, WalletHub's 2022’s Happiest Cities in America, actually ranks Seattle as the 7th happiest city in the whole country— beating out other obvious contenders like Honolulu, New York City, Minneapolis, and the illustrious Reno, NV.

The weather notwithstanding, there are a number of reasons to love Jet City, the study found. Researchers say Seattle performed well because residents are active, participating in sports more than any other major city. Other positive factors were the city's relatively low unemployment rate, the second-highest income growth rate in the country, and low suicide and divorce rates.

Plus, Seattleites love to sleep, getting the 4th most adequate sleep in the country. So if the gloom has you down: get some sleep, or get some exercise.

Here are WalletHub's 10 happiest cities in the U.S.:

1. Fremont, CA
2. Columbia, MD
3. San Francisco, CA
4. San Jose, CA
5. Irvine, CA
6. Madison, WI
7. Seattle, WA
8. Overland Park, KS
9. Huntington Beach, CA
10. San Diego, CA

Conversely, here are the 10 saltiest cities in the nation:

1. Detroit, MI
2. Gulfport, MS
3. Memphis, TN
4. Huntingon, WV
5. Montgomery, AL
6. Cleveland, OH
7. Augusta, GA
8. Fort Smith, AR
9. Mobile, AL
10. Shreveport, LA

>> Read more from WalletHub.