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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 Oregon 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 :
- Sherwood, OR
- Happy Valley, OR
- Bull Mountain, OR
- Cedar Mill, OR
- Bethany, OR
- West Linn, OR
- Tualatin, OR
- Garden Home-Whitford, OR
- Lake Oswego, OR
- Rockcreek, OR
These are the happiest places in Oregon. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in Oregon?
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 97 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. Sherwood
Population: 19,337
Earners Over $75k: 63.9%
Average Commute: 28
Marriage Rate: 22.0%
Sherwood is the happiest city in all of Oregon. What makes Sherwood residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Sherwood resident only drives 28.6 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Sherwood residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Happy Valley
Population: 19,471
Earners Over $75k: 74.3%
Average Commute: 30
Marriage Rate: 21.0%
In 2nd place we have Happy Valley. Residents of Happy Valley are highly educated, with an impressive 54.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Happy Valley have plenty of them.
3. Bull Mountain
Population: 9,591
Earners Over $75k: 78.6%
Average Commute: 29
Marriage Rate: 19.0%
Bull Mountain is the third happiest city in Oregon. Why so happy? 19.0% of Bull Mountain 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. Cedar Mill
Population: 17,897
Earners Over $75k: 66.8%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 11.0%
Folks in Cedar Mill have a lot to smile about. An impressive 66.8% of Cedar Mill households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Cedar Mill can afford peace of mind.
5. Bethany
Population: 24,396
Earners Over $75k: 72.8%
Average Commute: 25
Marriage Rate: 8.0%
Bethany is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Bethany residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Oregon city is only $509,900), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. West Linn
Population: 26,511
Earners Over $75k: 62.4%
Average Commute: 28
Marriage Rate: 18.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give West Linn a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 62.4% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call West Linn home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Tualatin
Population: 27,338
Earners Over $75k: 53.3%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 17.0%
Tualatin is the 7th happiest city. Tualatin residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 22.7 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. Garden Home-Whitford
Population: 6,666
Earners Over $75k: 61.5%
Average Commute: 25
Marriage Rate: 22.0%
Garden Home-Whitford residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Lake Oswego
Population: 38,705
Earners Over $75k: 63.8%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 15.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of Oregon is Lake Oswego. The average commute in Lake Oswego is only 24.8 minutes. That means they are only 24.8 minutes away from the loving spouse 15.0% of them have.
10. Rockcreek
Population: 9,898
Earners Over $75k: 60.6%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 16.0%
In 10th place is Rockcreek, Oregon. What makes Rockcreek 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 Oregon
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sherwood | 63.9% |
| 2 | Happy Valley | 74.3% |
| 3 | Bull Mountain | 78.6% |
| 4 | Cedar Mill | 66.8% |
| 5 | Bethany | 72.8% |
| 6 | West Linn | 62.4% |
| 7 | Tualatin | 53.3% |
| 8 | Garden Home-Whitford | 61.5% |
| 9 | Lake Oswego | 63.8% |
| 10 | Rockcreek | 60.6% |
| 11 | Oak Hills | 57.1% |
| 12 | Canby | 43.7% |
| 13 | Raleigh Hills | 49.9% |
| 14 | Oregon City | 47.9% |
| 15 | Tigard | 50.4% |
| 16 | Central Point | 34.2% |
| 17 | Oatfield | 55.4% |
| 18 | Hillsboro | 52.1% |
| 19 | Scappoose | 52.8% |
| 20 | Bend | 42.0% |
| 21 | Troutdale | 46.5% |
| 22 | West Slope | 52.8% |
| 23 | West Haven-Sylvan | 58.7% |
| 24 | Gladstone | 39.5% |
| 25 | Silverton | 42.6% |
| 26 | Warrenton | 38.0% |
| 27 | Aloha | 49.2% |
| 28 | Wilsonville | 45.5% |
| 29 | Keizer | 40.0% |
| 30 | Stayton | 36.7% |
| 31 | Creswell | 37.5% |
| 32 | La Grande | 27.8% |
| 33 | Albany | 35.3% |
| 34 | Newberg | 38.1% |
| 35 | Cedar Hills | 51.8% |
| 36 | Forest Grove | 38.5% |
| 37 | Sandy | 39.2% |
| 38 | Hood River | 37.3% |
| 39 | Deschutes River Woods | 41.5% |
| 40 | Beaverton | 45.5% |
| 41 | North Bend | 28.6% |
| 42 | Molalla | 40.3% |
| 43 | Fairview | 41.1% |
| 44 | Ashland | 35.3% |
| 45 | The Dalles | 25.6% |
| 46 | Corvallis | 35.5% |
| 47 | Salem | 33.6% |
| 48 | Oak Grove | 41.6% |
| 49 | Medford | 28.8% |
| 50 | Jennings Lodge | 33.9% |
| 51 | Portland | 44.4% |
| 52 | Mcminnville | 33.8% |
| 53 | Milwaukie | 40.6% |
| 54 | Pendleton | 29.0% |
| 55 | Junction City | 30.7% |
| 56 | Dallas | 36.5% |
| 57 | Eagle Point | 41.4% |
| 58 | Redmond | 33.2% |
| 59 | Eugene | 31.4% |
| 60 | Baker City | 23.6% |
| 61 | Astoria | 27.5% |
| 62 | Altamont | 24.3% |
| 63 | Independence | 23.9% |
| 64 | Gresham | 33.6% |
| 65 | Newport | 27.6% |
| 66 | Cornelius | 38.4% |
| 67 | Brookings | 31.0% |
| 68 | Cottage Grove | 24.6% |
| 69 | Hermiston | 27.8% |
| 70 | Roseburg | 25.4% |
| 71 | Monmouth | 23.1% |
| 72 | Lebanon | 24.0% |
| 73 | Roseburg North | 31.4% |
| 74 | St. Helens | 31.9% |
| 75 | Springfield | 23.7% |
| 76 | Coos Bay | 26.4% |
| 77 | Green | 20.4% |
| 78 | Sutherlin | 24.8% |
| 79 | Seaside | 26.5% |
| 80 | White City | 19.0% |
| 81 | Klamath Falls | 22.5% |
| 82 | Florence | 20.2% |
| 83 | Grants Pass | 22.3% |
| 84 | Milton-Freewater | 18.2% |
| 85 | Talent | 16.9% |
| 86 | Lincoln City | 19.0% |
| 87 | Four Corners | 28.8% |
| 88 | Hayesville | 24.2% |
| 89 | Woodburn | 26.2% |
| 90 | Winston | 22.8% |
| 91 | Ontario | 19.3% |
| 92 | Tillamook | 17.2% |
| 93 | Prineville | 17.3% |
| 94 | Madras | 21.4% |
| 95 | Sweet Home | 17.2% |
| 96 | Umatilla | 21.8% |
| 97 | Sheridan | 25.8% |
Author
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.
