2018's Happiest Cities In America

The "pursuit of happiness" is a universal right. What people might not realize is that where you live may also determine how happy you are.

Moving to a certain city may help you be more content. The following list is based on data by WalletHub.

In order to determine where people in America are most content with their lives, the personal-finance website compared more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities across 28 key indicators of happiness. The data set ranges from depression rate to income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day.

Overland Park, Kansas has the lowest adequate-sleep rate, 26.4 percent, which is 1.9 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 50.8 percent.      

Scottsdale ranked No. 6 in the "Community & Environment" category, which is what's improving its overall standing. The category includes leisure time spend per day and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents.

The Golden City has the fourth highest income growth. The City is ranked fourth overall in "Income an Employment" and fifth in "Emotional & Physical Wellbeing." What else is there to worry about when you have a well-paying job?

Columbia is high on the list because of its "Community & Environment" rank – 5. It takes into consideration ideal weather throughout the year, separation and divorce rate, as well as strength of social ties.

Madison is tied with Bridgeport, Connecticut in fifth place for having fewest work hours. It's best individual ranking is in the category for physical and emotional health – 11.

Grand Prairie ranked third in "Community & Environment," 16^th in "Income & Employment" and 29^th in "Emotional and Physical Wellbeing," out of 182 cities across the U.S.

Huntington Beach has the fifth highest sports-participation rate. The city is also on the list of the healthiest cities in America.

Irvine has the second highest sports-participation rate and the second lowest separation and divorce rate. Also, Irvine just misses the No.1 ranking for the least stressed city in the U.S. The city has a low crime rate, and the majority of the people living there have high credit scores.

Sioux Falls has the second highest adequate-sleep rate. This is very important if you want to preserve your sanity as well as physical health. Also, This is one of the most romantic cities in the country. Contrary to what many people believe, you can take a vacation without going broke. 

Fargo ranks No. 2 in the "Income & Employment" category. The city is one of the cleanest in the world. Coal-fired coal power plants, oil and gas fields, of which the state has plenty, have not been a big problem due to North Dakota's geography. The windy weather and wide-open spaces dilute the pollution particle.

Plano has the fourth lowest separation and divorce rate among the 182 cities on the list. Also, it's one of the most pet-friendly cities in the entire country. 

People in Pear City also tend to stay together. The city has the fifth lowest separation and divorce rate. It also ranks second in two of the big three categories used to rank all cities – "Emotional and Physical Wellbeing" and "Community & Environment Rank."

San Jose takes the top spot in the "Emotional and Physical Wellbeing" category and ranks eighth in the "Income and Employment" category. It's also on the list of the best cities for keeping New Year's Resolutions.

Bismarck has the highest income growth among all 182 in the study. It's no wonder that it tops employment category and that is also ranked very high in the physical and mental health (4^th) and community (7^th) brackets.

Fremont, California, has the lowest separation & divorce rate, 16.52 percent, which is 2.9 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 47.65 percent.