Researchers List 'Unhappy Cities' of US

By Steven Hogg - 23 Jul '14 09:16AM

Researchers have identified the "unhappiest cities in the U.S."

The study was conducted by researchers at Harvard University and University of British Columbia. The team found that young people were willing to relocate to these "Unhappy cities" for a new job or for lower housing prices.

Last week, The U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research released the paper "Unhappy Cities." The paper was based on data from a large survey.

"Our research indicates that people care about more than happiness alone, so other factors may encourage them to stay in a city despite their unhappiness," said Joshua Gottlieb of the University of British Columbia's Vancouver School of Economics, according to a news release. "This means that researchers and policy-makers should not consider an increase in reported happiness as an overriding objective."

The unhappy cities in the U.S. are:

1. New York, NY

2. Pittsburgh, PA

3. Louisville, KY

4. Milwaukee, WI

5. Detroit, MI

6. Indianapolis, IN

7. St. Louis, MO

8. Las Vegas, NV

9. Buffalo, NY

10. Philadelphia, PA

All the cities listed above have population of greater than one million as of 2010. Scranton, PA, St. Joseph, MO, Erie, PA are some of the least happy regions in the country, researchers said.

What's Making New York Unhappy?

Researchers told the New York Magazine that residential areas segregated due to income levels might be contributing to the dissatisfaction with life in the Big Apple.

Also, the fact that median apartment rents have increased by 75 percent and income declined by 5 percent probably doesn't add to life satisfaction.

The Top ten Happy cities in the U.S. are:

1. Richmond-Petersburg, VA

2. Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA

3. Washington, DC

4. Raleigh-Durham, NC

5. Atlanta, GA

6. Houston, TX

7. Jacksonville, FL

8. Nashville, TN

9. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL

10. Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ