All other things being equal, the south, parts of the west, and upper midwest are the happiest places in the United States according to a recent study.
Researchers from Harvard University and the University of British Columbia took data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which asked 300,000 individuals to report on their life satisfaction each year between 2005 and 2009. The analysts took this data and other demographic variables to compare differences in happiness across regions, while controlling for things like employment status and income.
As the map suggests, people may be willing to sacrifice happiness for job opportunities in urban areas (New York is the number one unhappiest metropolitan area) or for low housing prices (Indiana and Kentucky). If you want to be around happy people, though, consider moving to Richmond, Norfolk, Washington, DC, or other areas in the blue or green spots on the map.
You can read the PDF report here or the summary with list of the cities in the press release below.
Study reveals 'unhappiest' cities in the U.S. | UBC News via Vox