The 10 Happiest Places To Live In Florida

Ever wondered where in the country people are happiest? Better yet, what cities in your state have the secret sauce for happiness?

Just like where you work and what you do, where you live can have major implications for your quality of life. We set out to find the cities in Florida where life is sweetest, the wages are high, and people aren’t wasting their lives away in cars,

The results? Happiness comes in small packages.

The result is this list of the best cities for :

These are the happiest places in Florida. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.

How did we determined the happiest places to live in Florida?

We turned happiness into a science and scoured the state to find the cities with all the ingredients for happiness:

Being well educated (Population with at least a bachelor’s degree)
Percent of households earning above $75,000
Median home prices
A short commute to work (Traffic = unhappiness)
Having a family (Getting, and staying married, has a ton of happiness benefits, on average)

We examined over 465 cities, to find the cities that have all of the above in spades.

While some may be confused to see marriage rates included in our metrics, studies show that married people are typically happier than unmarried people. However, it is worth noting that marriage doesn’t cause happiness. In fact, people leaving a bad marriage experience spikes of happiness. However, a happy marriage and positive social interactions are important for mood and mental health.

Similarly, if you’re scratching your head to see $75,000 as the cut-off for happiness, blame Purdue University. Their study found that amount meets basic needs and frees people from the pitfalls of deep financial insecurity that cause unhappiness.

All of our data comes from the most recent American Community Survey.

Keep reading for more on why each of these 10 places is brimming with happiness—or hop to the bottom to see where your city landed on the list.

1. Gulf Breeze

Source: Wikipedia User Sunpowerpack | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 6,383
Earners Over $75k: 61.4%
Average Commute: 20
Marriage Rate: 11.0%

Gulf Breeze is the happiest city in all of Florida. What makes Gulf Breeze residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Gulf Breeze resident only drives 20.3 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Gulf Breeze residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.

2. Fruit Cove

Population: 32,994
Earners Over $75k: 69.3%
Average Commute: 31
Marriage Rate: 13.0%

In 2nd place we have Fruit Cove. Residents of Fruit Cove are highly educated, with an impressive 52.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Fruit Cove have plenty of them.

3. Lakeland Highlands

Population: 12,376
Earners Over $75k: 60.1%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 19.0%

Lakeland Highlands is the third happiest city in Florida. Why so happy? 19.0% of Lakeland Highlands residents come home to a partner to share their life burdens. Bonus? Short commutes give them more time to spend with all their loved ones or on hobbies they enjoy.

4. Cooper City

Population: 35,376
Earners Over $75k: 62.9%
Average Commute: 28
Marriage Rate: 12.0%

Folks in Cooper City have a lot to smile about. An impressive 62.9% of Cooper City households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Cooper City can afford peace of mind.

5. Lake Butler

Population: 18,917
Earners Over $75k: 68.2%
Average Commute: 25
Marriage Rate: 5.0%

Lake Butler is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Lake Butler residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Florida city is only $616,100), happy marriages, and short commutes.

6. Pinecrest

Source: Public domain

Population: 19,446
Earners Over $75k: 72.1%
Average Commute: 31
Marriage Rate: 11.0%

Looking to relocate? Data says you should give Pinecrest a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 72.1% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call Pinecrest home have a lot to be happy about.

7. Winter Park

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL

Population: 30,189
Earners Over $75k: 48.7%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 13.0%

Winter Park is the 7th happiest city. Winter Park residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 23.7 minutes of their home. They can use all that extra time saved from a long commute to indulge in hobbies they’re passionate about.

8. Miami Shores

Source: Wikipedia User Averette | CC BY 3.0

Population: 10,676
Earners Over $75k: 69.1%
Average Commute: 28
Marriage Rate: 10.0%

Miami Shores residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?

9. Fish Hawk

Population: 20,054
Earners Over $75k: 70.3%
Average Commute: 36
Marriage Rate: 11.0%

The 9th happiest city in all of Florida is Fish Hawk. The average commute in Fish Hawk is only 36.8 minutes. That means they are only 36.8 minutes away from the loving spouse 11.0% of them have.

10. Palmetto Bay

Source: Public domain

Population: 24,564
Earners Over $75k: 68.4%
Average Commute: 37
Marriage Rate: 12.0%

In 10th place is Palmetto Bay, Florida. What makes Palmetto Bay so great? Affordable housing, reasonable commutes, and healthy incomes. If happiness is contagious, moving here might be worth a try.

And that’s our list of the happiest cities in Florida

There you have it, happiness is a place.

While we can’t guarantee everyone living and working in the top 10 cities is happy, they have a better chance the most.

If you are looking to improve your own happiness, check out how you can help improve your personal factors: housing costs, job satisfaction, income, and education.

If your city didn’t make the top 10, check out the list below to see whether it missed the cut by a hair or if folks there are struggling to escape despair.

Detailed List Of The Happiest Cities In

Rank	City	High Earners	Average Commute	Marriage Rate
1	Gulf Breeze	61.4%	20	11.0%
2	Fruit Cove	69.3%	31	13.0%
3	Lakeland Highlands	60.1%	22	19.0%
4	Cooper City	62.9%	28	12.0%
5	Lake Butler	68.2%	25	5.0%
6	Pinecrest	72.1%	31	11.0%
7	Winter Park	48.7%	23	13.0%
8	Miami Shores	69.1%	28	10.0%
9	Fish Hawk	70.3%	36	11.0%
10	Palmetto Bay	68.4%	37	12.0%
11	Key Biscayne	71.7%	26	5.0%
12	Parkland	76.7%	29	7.0%
13	Neptune Beach	55.6%	25	14.0%
14	Coral Gables	60.5%	24	8.0%
15	Horizon West	64.1%	29	8.0%
16	World Golf Village	63.5%	32	13.0%
17	Keystone	70.1%	35	12.0%
18	Nocatee	68.0%	32	10.0%
19	Maitland	49.7%	23	11.0%
20	Belle Isle	59.2%	24	16.0%
21	Oviedo	60.8%	29	11.0%
22	Jacksonville Beach	52.9%	22	12.0%
23	Heathrow	62.9%	24	7.0%
24	Palm Valley	59.7%	24	8.0%
25	Southwest Ranches	67.2%	30	12.0%
26	Rio Pinar	60.6%	25	12.0%
27	Lynn Haven	39.8%	21	18.0%
28	Niceville	48.2%	21	10.0%
29	Wellington	59.3%	28	7.0%
30	St. Augustine Beach	58.6%	25	8.0%
31	Fleming Island	59.1%	29	12.0%
32	Bay Hill	69.4%	23	4.0%
33	Wekiwa Springs	56.0%	27	10.0%
34	South Miami	41.6%	27	10.0%
35	Celebration	55.5%	25	6.0%
36	Key West	45.1%	12	9.0%
37	Tequesta	46.6%	21	10.0%
38	Odessa	53.6%	32	13.0%
39	Lake Mary	58.5%	25	9.0%
40	Jupiter Farms	64.1%	32	13.0%
41	Westchase	61.9%	33	8.0%
42	Lutz	55.0%	31	18.0%
43	Lake Lorraine	47.9%	19	8.0%
44	Highland City	45.9%	24	19.0%
45	Satellite Beach	50.0%	26	9.0%
46	Osprey	56.8%	23	7.0%
47	Oakleaf Plantation	57.0%	33	14.0%
48	Atlantic Beach	51.3%	27	11.0%
49	Gateway	60.5%	26	6.0%
50	Pace	44.9%	26	18.0%
51	Boca Raton	52.3%	21	5.0%
52	Destin	50.4%	21	7.0%
53	Palm Beach	68.0%	18	4.0%
54	Winter Garden	45.3%	28	8.0%
55	West Melbourne	44.1%	19	9.0%
56	Jupiter	54.4%	23	6.0%
57	Bay Harbor Islands	48.2%	28	6.0%
58	Country Walk	53.8%	38	11.0%
59	Weston	62.6%	32	3.0%
60	Viera West	48.0%	27	8.0%
61	Doral	52.1%	28	2.0%
62	Palm Beach Gardens	52.8%	21	6.0%
63	Ocoee	47.3%	30	12.0%
64	Forest City	44.1%	24	9.0%
65	North Palm Beach	45.1%	21	8.0%
66	South Patrick Shores	54.0%	21	6.0%
67	Upper Grand Lagoon	42.4%	19	8.0%
68	Alachua	41.1%	26	27.0%
69	Royal Palm Beach	49.7%	27	8.0%
70	Doctor Phillips	59.1%	26	5.0%
71	South Sarasota	46.1%	23	7.0%
72	Palm City	52.2%	24	7.0%
73	Sanibel	60.5%	19	3.0%
74	Wesley Chapel	54.4%	32	9.0%
75	Samsula-Spruce Creek	56.2%	27	13.0%
76	Miami Lakes	47.5%	29	7.0%
77	Conway	45.1%	28	16.0%
78	Indian Harbour Beach	41.4%	25	11.0%
79	Gonzalez	51.1%	23	18.0%
80	Tallahassee	29.3%	18	11.0%
81	Whiskey Creek	49.1%	19	8.0%
82	Pelican Bay	66.8%	19	0.0%
83	Fruitland Park	35.3%	19	14.0%
84	Carrollwood	45.4%	27	11.0%
85	Pebble Creek	55.0%	28	6.0%
86	Coral Springs	49.6%	28	5.0%
87	Naples	57.8%	19	2.0%
88	Plantation	47.3%	27	7.0%
89	Bloomingdale	56.5%	33	10.0%
90	Davie	46.5%	27	7.0%
91	Miramar	45.7%	29	9.0%
92	St. Pete Beach	50.6%	24	7.0%
93	Fernandina Beach	40.3%	24	10.0%
94	Cheval	44.6%	32	8.0%
95	Hunters Creek	40.7%	26	2.0%
96	Lighthouse Point	55.6%	25	6.0%
97	Miami Springs	38.8%	26	8.0%
98	Three Lakes	44.7%	33	8.0%
99	The Acreage	58.6%	35	13.0%
100	Fruitville	47.3%	22	7.0%

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Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.

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