This Wisconsin city is among the top 5 'happiest' in America, a new study has found

Smile!

In advance of International Day of Happiness (which the United Nations declared in 2012 would be March 20), the personal finance tools company WalletHub ranked the 182 largest U.S. cities to determine its list of the "Happiest Cities in America" for 2024.

Wisconsin's capital city, Madison, made the top 10, ranking fourth. Milwaukee finished just outside the top 100 in 108th.

WalletHub's rankings were based on three indices, using data from a variety of sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of Minnesota and more, as well as WalletHub's own research.

Here is a summary of the factors included in each index:

• Emotional & Physical Well-Being index (50%) ― life satisfaction index, depression and suicide rates, adequate sleep rate, drug-use statistics, life expectancy and more.

• Income & Employment index (25%) ― income growth rate, share of households earning incomes above $75,000 per year, job security and satisfaction, weekly work hours, commute time, unemployment and underemployment rates, and more.

• Community & Environment index (25%) ― separation and divorce rate, ranking among WalletHub's "Most Caring Cities," hate crime incidents per capita, ideal weather, acres of park land per 1,000 residents, average leisure time spent per day and "Community" index score on the Sharecare Well-Being Index.

Here's what makes Madison and Milwaukee residents so happy (or unhappy), according to WalletHub.

More: Why Wisconsin is the 'best' or 'worst' place on so many random lists

Why is Madison America's 4th-happiest city?

Few things could make a Wisconsinite happier than enjoying a Babcock ice cream cone at the Memorial Union on a summer day. Maybe that's why Madison ranked as America's fourth-happiest city on WalletHub's list.

Madison ranked seventh among America's largest cities in WalletHub's "Emotional & Physical Well-Being" index and was the second-highest ranking Midwestern city on this index behind Overland Park, Kan. WalletHub also found that Madisonians had the second-highest rate of "adequate sleep" after residents of South Burlington, Vt.

Wisconsin's capital city ranked 17th on the "Income & Employment" index. A recent U.S. News & World Report study reported that Madisonians' average annual salary is $59,510, slightly above the national average of $58,260. Healthcare, information technology and manufacturing are three of the most popular industries for employment and attract many transplants to the city.

The study also reported that Madisonians' average commute time of 21.9 minutes is about five minutes less than the national average. However, the city's cost of living is higher than both the state and national averages. Madison's median home price is $398,096, while the national average price is $383,883.

Finally, Madison ranked ninth in WalletHub's "Community & Environment" index ― the second Midwestern city, again behind Overland Park. Madison ranked an impressive first on WalletHub's list of the "Most Caring Cities in America" for 2024. The city earned this ranking thanks to its residents searching Google for "charitable donations" more than people in any other city, their online giving per capita, and the city's high numbers of doctors, EMTs, and pet shelter and rescue services.

Recently, the American College of Sports Medicine's American Fitness Index report also found that 64% of Madisonians reported being in "excellent or very good health," the most of any city in that report. Madison also boasts the most playgrounds per 10,000 residents of any of the U.S.'s 100 largest cities, and 95% of Madisonians live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Perhaps another reason Madisonians are so happy is because their city consistently ranks highly on so many random lists.

In addition to being America's fourth-happiest city, Madison is also the second-best state capital to live in and boasts the third-best quality of life. It's also the 15th-best city in which to start a small business and has the sixth-fittest residents.

How happy are Milwaukee residents?

Out of America's 182 largest cities, Milwaukee ranked 108th on WalletHub's list of America's "Happiest Cities" in 2024.

Wisconsin's largest city ranked 89th on WalletHub's "Emotional & Physical Well-Being" index, ranking ahead of Columbus (130th), Indianapolis (136th), St. Louis (149th) and Detroit (180th) but behind Minneapolis (17th) and Chicago (56th).

Milwaukee ranked 157th on the "Income & Employment" index. Among large Midwestern cities, this put Milwaukee ahead of St. Louis (166th), Indianapolis (169th), Chicago (179th) and Detroit (182nd) but behind Minneapolis (22nd) and Columbus (140th).

Lastly, Milwaukee ranked 101st on WalletHub's "Community & Environment" index. It ranked ahead of Columbus (136th), St. Louis (147th) and Detroit (176th). Milwaukee ranked behind Minneapolis (57th), Chicago (83rd) and Indianapolis (88th). Milwaukee also ranked 66th out of 100 on WalletHub's list of America's "Most Caring Cities," which was used in determining cities' "Community & Environment" index score in the "Happiest Cities" list.

Source: WalletHub

What is the happiest city in America?

WalletHub's analysis found that Fremont, Calif., is America's "Happiest City" in 2024. Of the 182 cities evaluated, Fremont had the third-lowest rate of depression, lowest separation and divorce rate and the lowest share of adults who reported having 14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month.

Overland Park, Kan., ranked as WalletHub's "second happiest" American city in 2024. This Kansas city had the lowest poverty rate of any evaluated, at just 4.2%. It also has one of the lowest unemployment rates, at 3%, and one of the lowest food insecurity rates.

Third place in WalletHub's ranking went to San Jose, Calif. The city has the longest average life expectancy in the country, as well as the fourth-lowest depression and separation and divorce rates of the cities evaluated. San Jose ranked second in WalletHub's "Emotional & Physical Well-Being" index.

Here are America's top 10 "Happiest Cities" in 2024, according to WalletHub's analysis:

1. Fremont, Calif.

2. Overland Park, Kan.

3. San Jose, Calif.

4. Madison, Wis.

5. Irvine, Calif.

6. Honolulu

7. San Francisco

8. Pearl City, Hawaii

9. Columbia, Md.

10. Scottsdale, Ariz.

What are America's least happy cities, according to WalletHub?

Here are the bottom 10 cities on WalletHub's list of America's "Happiest Cities" in 2024:

1. Detroit, Mich. (182nd)

2. Cleveland (181st)

3. Montgomery, Ala. (180th)

4. Birmingham, Ala. (179th)

5. Shreveport, La. (178th)

6. Huntington, W.Va. (177th)

7. Toledo, Ohio (176th)

8. Jackson, Miss. (175th)

9. Mobile, Ala. (174th)

10. Akron, Ohio (173rd)

Click here to check out WalletHub's complete rankings and methodology.

More: These two Wisconsin cities rank among the top 10 best for quality of life in the U.S.

More: Golf Digest ranked the best states for public golf and put Wisconsin at No. 1.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Madison, Milwaukee among WalletHub's 2024 'happiest' cities in U.S.